Building of environmentally friendly and affordable housing has been a problem for the young professionals and low income families in United States. The right of young generation to establish and make use of natural resources is important but they can also waste them. Supply of affordable houses has been short-sighted and destructive in America.There is need of a longer view on what to do so as to maintain houses from start to finish and people are aware of house construction and how it effects environment. Development of a better construction model is necessary in which development of better construction model requires people to address the issue of affordable and sustainable housing design in imaginative and dynamic new methods.There is nothing like green architecture or aesthetic rather there is countless means that can be employed to address and synthesize green issues.
Having green construction design is not just a matter of add-on or specification of products but is more than low-emissive glass, insulation, water conservation toilets and nonpolluting paints. This impacts on the whole environment as well as building and acts as the main contributor for design.Lack of Affordable Housing in United StatesHaving a new agenda is not a restriction on building creativity but rather main influence on architecture which is more innovative, relevant and important. People should not continue affording to design useless and unaffordable housing.
They have to change their behavior and address the problem.The battle to fight housing problem has already began with plenty of resources and numerous people, businesses that are dedicated in lending their hands in combating the problem and programs that are effective in conserving natural resources for the future generation.City initiatives, community design organizations, few government agencies and university design or building programs will help in solving this problem. Houses for low and middle class people should be established and designing of houses and materials that effectively and carefully make use of environment for better living and future of people.[1]Lack of affordable housing have been experienced for decades in United States causing crisis that mostly affects low income residents, municipalities and government agencies, and real estate developers. In the past few years there have been experienced inadequacy of affordable housing especially to the young professionals and low income people.
As a result of zoning regulation and powers of governmental zoning are being sustained and maintained by courts. In cases where there is high demand of houses than supply, then a large amount of housing stock is not affordable for greater percentage of the population.In United States some people experience income growth especially those who belong to working and middle class with low rate than that of their property rise. They also experience problem of limited land on which they can build more and affordable houses.[2]High cost of housing in United States is undermining young professionals and low income families thus housing affordability being the main problem in the country.
This problem occurs across demographic, socioeconomic and occupational groups for each state in United States especially for the regions in the metropolitan regions. Housing occupation by owners is often not affordable and the problem is becoming worse as time goes by.Housing rent is becoming expensive with no increase on income for most people. Although there is housing burden in United States for many low income families, then rental housing has been comparatively affordable.
When people income is considered, then housing is affordable in the whole country.In United States, owner occupied housing is not really affordable in all parts of the country with access to affordable owner occupied housing being comparatively harsh.[3]Affordable and Even Sustainable HousingIn United States there has been a problem of affordable housing that poses difficulties especially to the low income families and young professionals. United States Federal government is making proposals of increasing housing supply and provision of well designed and greener homes with infrastructure support and provision of affordable homes.There are many homes with more ambitious building targets with increased investments and new identification patterns with land development.
Government has provided more social housing to ensure decent homes that are affordable to many.They have unblocking planning systems with release of land for development. There is also provision of greener homes with high environmental standards so as to reduce the rate of pollution and flagship development.1For affordable housing, recycling of land and homes is advocated for by making use of existing buildings, homes and disused land. According to United States housing policy there is a moderate rehabilitation and location of weak housing that aids in making housing affordable to greater percent of the population.
Low income housing tax credit is being used as a financial instrument which acts as a significant source of equity among the low income rental housing in United States. In addition, Federal government is offering incentives in rental housing to solve the problem.The Need for Green in Affordable HousingAffordable housing meant for living in drab, stores, institutional buildings that are situated far from jobs and other inconveniences. Use of old and blueprint developments is to have modern and environmentally friendly building design. Homes should be drenched with sunlight to reduce energy costs, cabinets and floors that are made from recycled materials in glossy and modern design.
There is need for green in affordable housing in buildings and associated expansion that has great effect to environment. In United States building use 40 percent of raw materials with housing and associated transportation accounting for 40 percent of global warming emissions. Low- income housing has additional effect to the environment with use of poor ventilation, toxic building materials and pest problems resulting in serious health problems.[4]There has been faster increase in energy costs for the poor families in United States with low income families mainly spending around 17 percent of their income on energy and there is a fear that the prices will rapidly increase.
According to research, there is a high energy bill that makes the poor families spend most of their money in paying energy than food. Housing in United States is sprawling to the neighborhoods adding a burden to those who belong to low class income.People suffering from poverty pay almost 40 percent of their money for transport. Urban sprawling results in more health and pollution problems.4Addressing the ProblemIn United States there are policies designed to address the issue of inadequate supply of affordable housing not only to the high class people but also to the working and low class people.
There are complicated secondary market mechanisms such as zoning, land banking, fiscal policies and taxing that help in minimizing cost of borrowing and mortgage.There are also other policy tools like elimination of restrictions against accessory dwelling units with reduced parking space which is mostly on new structures. To have adequate and affordable housing is controversial in United States in real contemporary life since gains in housing affordability frequently lead to expansion of land availability for adequate housing with increased density in housing units.To ensure steadiness in supply of affordable housing implies that society will have to weigh a real and perceived livability effects against sheer necessity of housing affordability. The procedure of effecting location of affordable housing is really controversial with class allegation and overloaded race.
United States federal government offer subsides with an aim of making housing affordable to all population.Homeowners are given financial assistance through mortgage interest tax deductions and those at low income class are financially assisted through housing subsidy.[5]Building of affordable housing can be done using Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, Home Ownership Mortgage Investment Partnership Act Program, and Tax Incremental Partnership Act Program. United States Federal government mostly uses tax credit programs to encourage construction and availability of affordable housing.Innovative financing is used to make the projects more dynamic and profitable in partnership. This enables putting less of people’s equity in the deal and maximizes profits making the project more feasible.
Use of innovative financing are used to satisfy investment prohibition in such as cultural, legal, ethical, wealth, availability of alternatives and risk acceptable. This enables appropriate management of risks that may be involved.Those involved acquire non-pecuniary returns like prestige, social capital, self-actualization and respect. There is maximization of tax shelters and capital gains with acquisition of assets and cash flow.
Innovative financing enables use of public financing procedure that secure political hold up and ownership establishing community.There is easy acquisition of assets and cash flow with administrative expediency from planning and development department. Through innovative financing there is ownership of building through reversion and provision of supply and service utility.[6]Housing developers, financial community, public agency staff and advocates make use of blueprint for green affordable housing to specifically guide them in incorporating strategies for green building into design, operation of affordable housing development and construction.According to Global Green USA, 1999 green building adds value to construction of affordable housing which has incorporated design procedure which is the best practice in building of affordable housing with green operations and innovative management funding and policies.There is need for people to change their way of living not only for better of the environment but for themselves.
Sustainable urbanism should be the main focus of human settlement pattern by 2030.By use of valuable available resources, people should be in a position to advance their way of life which is friendly to environment. Sustainable urbanism is environmentally friendly by use of environmentally sustainable urban design which enables proper construction of affordable construction with conservation of environment.[7][1] Kwok, A. G., Walter T.
& Grondzik, (2007), the green studio handbook: environmental strategies for schematic design, Oxford, UK: Architectural Press, pp. 42-53[2] Minford, P. Ashton, P. & Peel, M. (2001), the housing morass: regulation, immobility & unemployment, Institute of Economic Affairs, pp.
108-134[3] Schwartz, A. F., (2006), housing policy in the United States: An introduction, CRC Press, pp. 74-91[4] Global Green USA, (2007), blueprint for greening affordable housing, Walker Wells Ed.
Washington DC: Island Press, pp. 14-25[5] Knowles, R. L., (2006), ritual house: drawing on nature’s rhythms for architecture and urban design, Washington DC: Island Press, pp. 197-203[6] Koebel, C.
& Bailey, C. (1992), “states policies and programs to preserve federally assisted low-income housing,” housing policy debate, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp.
123-139[7] Farr, D., (2008), sustainable urbanism: urban design with nature, Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., pp. 89-101
