I have a development idea:
Came across an article in Dwell magazine (can't find a good link to it, unfortunately) that showcased an excellent trio of houses that came out of
this competition -- called "From the Ground Up," sponsored by the architecture dept of Syracuse U.
Teams will have eight weeks to develop designs for a low-cost, sustainable home capable of being built for $150,000, inclusive of fees and site work. (The Syracuse Center of Excellence has committed to additional funding for those aspects of the design that support the realization of sustainable features.) Competing teams will be notified at the beginning of October with submissions due mid December. The winning team will have four months to develop construction documents before the groundbreaking in late Spring 2009. Construction on at least one residence is expected to be completed by Winter
The purpose is:
From the Ground Up seeks to provide a new model for formerly vital, urban residential neighborhoods throughout the United States through the creation of sustainable, affordable housing. Selected teams will work on infill sites, proposing designs for an 1,100 to 1,500-square-foot, single-family home. The goal of the competition is to create innovative designs for cost efficient, green prototypes that are sensitive to the scale and composition of the existing conditions, while providing a new vision that is legible to a wide array of existing and potential residents.
The location is:
The site for this competition will be Syracuse's Near Westside, a declining area adjacent to the city’s center comprised of 550 acres of industrial, residential, and commercial properties. This competition, through the advanced design approaches it yields and the resulting built work, will demonstrate the feasibility of bringing a high quality of design to a typically underserved, demographically diverse group of clients. Its ambition is to wed high design standards and advanced technology in the development of small domestic projects that will act as catalysts for improving our neighborhoods, creating innovative green homes, from the ground up.
Essentially it's an international competition for teams of architects to rehab a needy part of the city for single family dwellings that are affordable and modern. There are three finalists and the winning design gets built.
Perfect for an essentially blank slate like the Pearl. Or that huge area of pastureland and old stoops just north of downtonw
The competition doesn't ever have to become international in scope, per se. Even a regional competition would scare up some talent, and would focus attention on all the hot buttons in Tulsa -- affordability, sustainability, rehab of the blighted city center (or nearby) -- as well as provide one of our blighted areas with some architectural interest. Over years, it could turn the blighted area around entirely.
All we need now is Kaiser to read this post.