In order to have a better understanding of the current status of affordable housing, I first analyzed three cases of affordable housing in Vancouver, Chicago and Italy. I mainly paid attention to the location, floors, existing gardens, and targeted users of these affordable housing.

Through studying and comparing these cases, I summarized some features of existing affordable housing.

Then I made a plan of my studio, And I found all the garden activities in my matrix are difficult to carry out in it, which has similar layout as affordable housing (apartment). This finding inspired me to create more garden for affordable housing.

People who have just started working and stepped into society are my targeted users. They usually do not earn much. I want to provide them with affordable housing which can meet their needs in different life stages.

Affordable housing is urgently needed by the homeless, thus I visited and analyzed a project created by VAHA aiming to provide housing for the homeless. These two affordable housing are located on 2132 Ash Street and 265 West 1st Avenue.

I found that compared with other communities, these affordable housing are spatially: 1) Lack of high-quality gardens. 2) Are relatively separated from neighbourhoods around. From multi-sensorial aspect: these affordable housing always have the noise and unpleasant exhaust generated by the traffic on the road. All of the above are bad for the physical and mental health of the residents.

Although in the same building, the residents there seem to live in seperate, isolated boxes. There is no good garden space for them to do exercise and socialize. I came up with some ideas for the design of each unit: the room is composed of 3 parts, one for living, one for private garden, and one for semi-open garden that can be shared with others. In this way, even during the pandemic, people can communicate with each other at a safe distance.

Two matrices were made based on the analysis. First, I enumerated possible garden activities and rated the importance of them. Under the influence of pandemic, I think people’s requirements for physical exercise and socializing in the garden will increase. These activities should be provided with special venues in the design.

In the second matrix, I proposed that even with different incomes, people have the same level of demand for some activities; however, the homeless have stronger requirements for skills acquisition.

On the basis of assignment 1, I will further clarify the users of affordable housing, and explore what kind of garden activities they need, as well as what scale and form of space are required to do these activities.