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Thesis Project: HomeJoy // Affordable & Zero-Carbon City
In the midst of an urgent climate crisis, the Manchester City Council has undertaken a crucial mission: to establish a thriving, eco-friendly, and socially conscious environment that fosters community well-being, all while transitioning into a zero-carbon city by 2038. Collaborating with Rodica Earmacov, we have extensively examined the designated site in Eastern Gateway and identified a significant social issue: the insufficient provision of affordable housing by developers. Consequently, our thesis endeavors to address the sustainability aspect of the city by forming a strategy that strikes a harmonious balance between the development of affordable housing, equitable opportunities on-site, and economic viability.
To achieve this balance, we have designed homes that are located within a reasonable distance of essential amenities, such as education, workplaces, and green spaces, and have appropriate sizes in terms of the number of bedrooms for the households that will occupy them. We have also developed a computational method to test the cost of building affordable units against various budgetary pressures and analyse whether the desired number of affordable units on a site can be achieved while still ensuring a viable return on investment. By taking a multidisciplinary approach that considers social, environmental, and economic factors, we aim to provide affordable housing while meeting the needs of different stakeholders.
