That a country of wealth cannot provide sound housing for those in need is a national embarrassment. This book is about the design of dignified, affordable housing for those not served by the private sector, and how that housing fits comfortably into our communities. Sam Davis has written an accessible, non-technical analysis for everyone interested in the creation of affordable housing. Through discussions of cost, politics, and design concepts, as well as case studies of completed projects, he gives solutions to the dilemmas posed by the development process.

Good housing design is a delicate balance of community values, individual needs, esthetic judgments, and technical requirements. Good design can save money—seventy percent of the cost of a new dwelling is affected by planning and design. As a key ingredient in community building, housing should bestow on its inhabitants a sense of dignity, says Davis. To view this as a privilege for those who can afford market-rate housing invites both social and financial disaster. He also considers our national obsession with the single-family house and our historical ambivalence toward subsidized housing—attitudes that have often led to the stigmatization of low-income groups.

This book will be indispensable to community and volunteer groups, local governments, financial backers, architects, planners, and students in related fields.

Sam Davis is Professor and Chair of Architecture at the University of California, Berkeley and editor of The Form of Housing (1977). He is Principal of Davis and Joyce Architects and has won numerous design awards and housing competitions.

"This thoughtful account of what used to be called public housing should be of interest to a broad spectrum of readers, from specialists to the general public. It is engagingly written by a recognized authority."—Library Journal

"[This book] identifies developments around the country that defy the repulsive image we often associate with affordable housing. . . . The book explores what makes low-cost housing attractive and how it can stand the test of time."—San Francisco Examiner and Chronicle

"The Architecture of Affordable Housing illustrates how public housing has always been a contentious subject in terms of the federal government’s involvement. . . [and] offers the valuable conclusion that Americans must constantly challenge our social construct of poverty and housing development if the country wants viable options to meet the needs of a growing segment of our population that cannot afford housing. This book should be read by historians, social policy activists, public officials, architects and tenant representatives."—Boston Book Review

[Note: This quote technically belongs in the text between the ellipses, but both can stand on their own] "Forcing us to take a hard look at our view of people who live in poverty as well as the assumptions guiding the design of affordable housing, Davis offers keen insight into how planning and design can add aesthetic value to buildings without exceeding budgets."—Boston Book Review

"An invaluable book for community and volunteer groups, local authority architects and planners and Housing Associations."—Habitat

"Urban planners, architects, and developers who work in the affordable housing sector will find in this book confirmation of their own experiences and frustrations. . . . Planners and developers new to this challenge will find useful strategies for design and numerous examples of built projects. . . . Davis confronts head-on the most difficult aspect of developing affordable housing."—Journal of the American Planning Association

"An accessible, nontechnical analysis for everyone interested in the creation of affordable housing, which reveals the complexities posed in planning and development and discusses cost, politics, and design concepts, and case studies of completed projects. . . . This book will be most valuable to community and volunteer groups, local governments, financial backers, architects, planners, and students in related fields."—Choice