Pub. 2 2021-2022 Issue 1

10 REFLEXION | 2021-22 | AIA Utah U tah has a serious housing challenge. Home and rental prices are at all-time highs, but inventory is at all-time lows. To rent a market-rate two-bedroom apartment, the point at which rentals become affordable is a combined income of $23.15 per hour ($48,152 per year), and the average home price is $551,100. Last year, the median home price increased 17%; available inventory dropped 11%-32% during the same period. As a result, many people in Utah do not have a path that will lead them to homeownership. The answer is not building more luxury homes. Those are attractive to builders because they are more profitable, but too many people cannot afford them. The solution will have to include changing zoning policies to allow new, affordable housing developments. It will also have to involve innovating so builders have new designs that are easy to build without sacrificing form, function and maintenance. People have different needs at different times, and designs will also have to meet diverse housing needs. The goal is to foster independence, community, and empowerment among Utah residents by creating new housing options. The target demographic includes: • Active couples who want to downsize • Fixed-income residents • Individuals and couples who are currently homeless • Recent college graduates • Young professionals who want a smaller footprint The housing problem, combined with the interest of architects and designers who want to solve it, has inspired three groups to launch a “Tiny Home” competition that began July 21, 2021: • The American Institute of Architects Utah Chapter (AIA Utah) • The Community Development Corporation of Utah (CDCU) • Salt Lake City Corporation The competition was made possible by the generous support of CDCU, Ivory Innovations and the Utah Community Investment Fund (UCIF). It is hosted and funded by AIA Utah, Salt Lake City and CDCU. Several community leaders spoke during the press conference at the AIA Utah Wadman Center to announce the competition. In order of appearance, they were: • Philip Henderlie, AIA, LEED BDC • Blake Thomas, the director of Community and Neighborhoods, Salt Lake City • Mike Ackerlow, CEO of CDCU • Erin Mendenhall, the Salt Lake City mayor During her remarks, Mayor Mendenhall said that the goal is to create homes that fit the lifestyle and income of the people who live in them. Too many people, especially in Salt Lake City, lack the connections needed to get on the path to homeownership. The result is housing insecurity, which in turn has a devastating impact on low-income residents and their families. The homes AIA Empowered Living Design Competition photo credit: the newsLINK Group, LLC