Smart Solutions for Affordable Housing: Designing Stronger Communities
Across the country, the affordable housing crisis continues to intensify. Thoughtful affordable multifamily housing design plays a critical role in alleviating this crisis by creating livable, efficient, and community-oriented spaces that meet the needs of diverse populations while maximizing available resources.
In cities like Albuquerque, Phoenix, and El Paso, rising rents and stagnant wages have widened the housing gap, putting safe, stable homes out of reach for many families. In Albuquerque alone, tens of thousands of residents are cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on housing. Phoenix has experienced some of the fastest rent growth in the nation. However, Phoenix faces a shortage of 59,000 rental units for low-income households earning at or below 50% of the area median income. While El Paso faces challenges tied to aging housing stock and limited new development.
Affordable housing is more than a numbers game — it’s a cornerstone of a healthy society. Access to stable, affordable homes leads to lower rates of homelessness, better health outcomes, improved educational performance for children, and stronger community cohesion.
It starts with smart developments
At Dekker, we believe that successful affordable multifamily housing design begins with intentional informed design. We work closely with developers to understand the specific needs of each community and project. This includes:
- Helping projects pencil by maximizing efficiency, aligning with funding requirements, and creating long-term value
- Site selection assistance, by leveraging our planning and zoning expertise to identify optimal locations
- Navigating funding and community engagement, including strategies to build public support and access key programs like Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC)
These efforts ensure each project is positioned for success functionally, financially, and within the fabric of its community.
Creative funding, lasting impact
Our multifamily communities studio understands that affordable housing often hinges on layered and strategic financing. While Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) remain a crucial tool, we also encourage innovative approaches, such as:
- Mixed-use and mixed-income models that promote economic diversity and sustainability
- Public-private partnerships to stretch resources and foster community investment
- Adaptive reuse and infill development to revitalize existing infrastructure
Each solution is tailored to the community's unique needs, ensuring the project is both feasible and impactful.
Designing healthier communities
Affordable housing can and should do more than provide shelter. It should enrich the lives of its residents and contribute to the well-being of the broader community. At Dekker, we design spaces that promote both physical health and social connection, with features that go beyond the basics:
- Community gardens that encourage healthy eating, provide hands-on education opportunities, and foster a sense of self-sufficiency and stewardship
- Shared amenities from courtyards to community rooms — designed to bring people together, support neighborly connection, and create room for celebrations, milestones, and daily interactions
- Onsite service hubs that offer practical resources like nutrition and financial literacy classes, access to social services, and a consistent support network for residents
When affordable multifamily housing design becomes a catalyst for community resilience and personal well-being housing does more than provide shelter it helps people thrive.
Project highlight: The Imperial Building
Affordable doesn’t mean the bare minimum. Our design for the Imperial Building reflects our belief that everyone deserves quality, comfort, and dignity in their living space. The Imperial Building is a collaborative effort between the development team, key prospective tenants, and the City of Albuquerque to successfully integrate a pedestrian oriented development that includes a residential and commercial mixed-use building anchored by a grocery store into Downtown's urban core.
Five levels in total, the Imperial Building is a mixed-use design offering a below-grade parking garage, a grocery store and commercial space at the ground level, three floors of multifamily housing, and a rooftop garden terrace with raised planters for and views of the mountains and Downtown Albuquerque.
Rich design for affordable living
Affordable doesn’t mean the bare minimum; our designs prioritize quality, dignity, and long-term livability. At Dekker, we create spaces that feel like home by combining smart, efficient layouts with lasting materials and thoughtful amenities.
Living spaces
Our designs focus on livability and resilience, ensuring our affordable housing solutions meet the needs of today’s families while adding value to the community for years to come.
We incorporate smart layouts that maximize space, prioritize tenant comfort through natural light, ventilation, and inviting finishes, and use durable fixtures that stand the test of time and daily use. These design elements come together to support residents' day-to-day lives, creating homes that are both functional and welcoming.
Outdoor gathering for connection and wellness
Outdoor spaces are essential in creating affordable housing communities that feel safe, welcoming, and connected. We prioritize outdoor gathering areas as vital extensions of the home, creating places where residents can relax, build relationships, and engage with their environment.
Well-designed outdoor spaces contribute to both physical and mental well-being, while encouraging community interaction. Key features include:
- Shaded courtyards and patios that offer comfortable spaces to rest, socialize, or host informal events
- Play areas and walking paths that support active lifestyles for residents of all ages.
- Flexible gathering zones, such as picnic areas or outdoor kitchens, that can adapt to community celebrations, family gatherings, or everyday use
- Natural landscaping and greenery to promote calm, reduce heat island effects, and connect people with nature
These shared outdoor environments are more than amenities — they are intentional spaces designed to foster a sense of belonging and pride. When residents have inviting, functional places to gather, it strengthens social bonds, encourages stewardship, and enhances overall quality of life.
Project highlight: Nuevo Atrisco
At the western gateway to Albuquerque, Nuevo Atrisco blends retail, community space, and affordable housing to serve families and individuals in a vibrant, transit-accessible hub. This project exemplifies our holistic approach to place-making. Nuevo Atrisco was planned as a multi-staged mixed-use community. The multifamily community was built first to address the urgent need for more housing — especially affordable housing — in Albuquerque. The second stage of development included a food truck hall, further enriching the Nuevo Atrisco community.
Outdoor community amenities include a play space for children, community garden, and dog park. Adding to the outdoor space is an almost 10,000sf rooftop deck area for resident events and outdoor living opportunities. Indoor amenities include management/maintenance and service coordination office space, laundry rooms, a community room with a kitchen for resident use and provision of “healthy living” cooking classes, as well as a computer room and multipurpose room for resident events and social service classes.
As communities face mounting pressure to address housing shortages, we are committed to delivering solutions that are functional, beautiful, and rooted in community needs. Affordable housing isn’t just about building units; it’s about building stronger, healthier places where people thrive.
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