VALENCIA GARDENS EARNS HUD SECRETARY'S HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DESIGN AWARD
HUD and American Institute of Architects call four developments a model of residential housing design

WASHINGTON – San Francisco's Valencia Gardens public housing development is one of four affordable housing developments to be the recipient of the HUD Secretary's Housing and Community Design Award for excellence in residential housing design. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the American Institute of Architects selected Valencia Gardens, of San Francisco, California;Greenbridge of White Center, Washington; K Lofts of San Diego, California; and Patrolia Loft of Boston, Massachusetts for redefining affordable housing and its place within the community.

The awards were presented during the 2008 AIA National Convention and Design Exposition in Boston.

"Each of these innovative designs produced homes that are breaking the affordable housing mold," said HUD Deputy Secretary Roy A. Bernardi. "Affordable housing gets a bum rap. In many people's minds, it conjures up images of ugly, barracks-style housing that places function over form. These housing developments prove that today's affordable housing can be attractive, accessible and fit within the context of their surrounding neighborhoods."

Miriam Saez, Interim Executive Director of the San Francisco Housing Authority, noted that Valenica Gardens is a showcase for the benefit that affordable housing provides to the neighborhood.

"Valencia Gardens is a shining example of creating a dwelling where families and individuals of all incomes can come together and call home. This facility is the fabric of our community and we are honored and pleased that Valencia Gardens Housing Development was selected to be this year's recipient for excellence in design," explains Mirian Saez, interim director of the San Francisco Housing Authority. "We hope to use this as a model to help transform housing units slated for future redevelopment."

This year's HUD Secretary's Housing and Community Design Award recipients are:

Creating Community Connections Award
Valencia Gardens of San Francisco, California is a HUD-funded HOPE SIX development produced a mixed-use, affordable, public housing community located on a five-acre site in San Francisco's Mission District. From the beginning, the goal of Valencia Gardens was to connect the project with the surrounding urban fabric, to re-establish a strong sense of place of the community, and to provide a safe place for parents to raise their children.

Community-Informed Design
Greenbridge of White Center, Washington is a hundred-acre, mixed-income, "green community" of a thousand low-income...workforce...rental...and for-sale homes. This new HOPE SIX development replaces a 568-unit World War II-era low-income public housing project and promises to become an engine for change in the surrounding community. Greenbridge transforms the social failure of mid-20th Century planning into a new mixed-come neighborhood that provides affordable housing at multiple income levels, and replaces a project known for its high-crime rate with a neighborhood built around parks and open spaces.

Excellence in Affordable Housing Design Award
K Lofts of San Diego is a development that was created through a design process that included residents, community stakeholders, local government, and civic groups. The product of this inclusive process was a building that integrates public and private spaces in ways that enhance human scale and promote social interaction.

The Alan Rothman Award for Housing Accessibility
Patrolia Loft of Boston, Massachusetts is an interior fit-out of an existing concrete-shell apartment for a resident who requires a wheelchair. The project started with the proposition that accessible design should first and foremost be a good design. Patrolia Loft has specific accommodations for tenants with mobility limitations and, where appropriate, is tailored to the specific needs of the occupant. The result is a well-designed, open, and dramatic home that has quickly become the focus of the owner's busy life.

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HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to increasing homeownership, particularly among minorities; creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans; and supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also promotes economic and community development and enforces the nation's fair housing laws. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov.

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