Cities for Our Time: Practical Ideas for Equitable and Sustainable Cities

Fall 2015 Competition: Silicon Skyline - 1,000,000 Affordable Homes in Silicon Valley

Want to solve the Bay Area housing crisis? So do we! The state government's Legislative Analyst's Office reports that since 1980, the Bay Area has built 1,500,000 fewer homes than what would have been necessary to keep prices affordable. That's 4 San Franciscos.

Current construction, while booming, still falls short. In Silicon Valley, new jobs are still being added faster than new housing. Most land is still zoned for suburban houses. New towers are expensive to build and unaffordable to most people.

The Challenge

Details of entry requirements coming in June.

Your entry should address:

- Location: Identify where the 1,000,000 new homes will go. High rises on office parks? A cottage in every backyard? Something else?

- Funding: Moderate and low income housing will require some kind of subsidy. But that's OK - think of housing as basic infrastructure, like roads or schools. Where should the funding come from?

- Marketing: The mythology of 2.5 kids and a white picket fence got us to our present day of restrictive zoning and federally subsidized highways and mortgages. Your entry should evoke equally strong visions and emotional connections, whether it be through beautiful images or powerful text.

Past competitions

Fall 2014 Competition Entries and Results