domestiCITY [an affordable atlanta] is structured as a two-phase design competition that will explore best practices & innovative strategies for the planning, design, construction, & operation of affordable & sustainable developments in increasingly urbanized areas.

Rural-to-urban migration and natural population growth in urban centers over the past decades has resulted in a dramatic “urbanization” of North America’s geopolitical landscape.  According to the 2010 U.S. Census, 71.2 percent of the U.S. population resided in areas with 50,000 or more people, with the 48 largest urban areas accounting for more than half of the U.S. urban population.  This rapid population growth in metropolitan areas has resulted in a severe scarcity of housing stock, a veritable “housing crisis” that most acutely impacts lower-income households. Without proactive implementation of affordable housing plans in urban centers, unchecked growth will have detrimental effects on the long-term livability and health of our communities.

As a representative example of many North American cities, Atlanta’s metropolitan population is expected to grow by 2.5 million residents in the next twenty years.  In response to this anticipated growth, the domestiCITY design competition has been organized to explore best practices for the design and construction of affordable housing specific to the city of Atlanta, Georgia: these best practices might then be extrapolated for implementation in other urban environments.

The competition seeks innovative proposals on how to balance the financial and spatial challenges of development in heavily populated areas with the social and economic needs of existing and future communities. Project teams are asked to submit a proposed site plan and an associated building parti along with ideas for economic feasibility, architectural innovation, architectural programming, and project replicability.  Contestants should consider how their proposals empower and respond to the needs of the communities served, and how their design solutions allow longevity in the maintenance of new and existing facilities.

ONE x USD $50,000

$20,000 first place award plus an additional $30,000 cash stipend to further develop the project pro forma.

COMPETITION TIMELINE