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the mlk way: equal opportunity housing in St. Louis

A studio project at the Harvard GSD with studio advisor Dan D'oca of Interboro Partners . St. Louis's (and most American cities') affordable housing violates the Federal Fair Housing Act. Supreme Court rulings have determined that affordable housing must be distributed evenly throughout a city, with equal numbers of units in affluent areas. Currently St. Louis has no affordable housing in its wealthiest neighborhoods, and many of these neighborhoods face the possiblity of lawsuits if they fail to comply. This project proposes two designs for affordable housing in St. Louis as a model for de-segregating poverty, race, and housing. By partnering with a local community development corporation in St. Louis, two design packages were developed to help guide home builders and developers design affordable housing communities that provide African Americans in St. Louis the opportunity to live and raise families in areas with proper healthcare, financial security, and access to adequate schools. Two sites were chosen for the design project, one in suburban St. Louis, and the other in urban North St. Louis.