CHANGING THE FORMULA

摘要

Crime. "The Projects." Inner city. These are descriptors that come to mind when thinking of low-income housing. But that need no longer be the case: One rising trend in affordable housing is the incorporation of new dwellings into larger mixed-use developments. These projects feature rental units or condominiums with municipal services and commercial space—including retail and education uses that the residents need in their day-to-day lives. Developers like them for their tax credits and other incentives; residents also tend to like them because they move into whole communities and neighborhoods, as opposed to islands of low-income homes. And proponents of affordable housing and the environment see them as safer and healthier for residents as well as for society at large.