Beyond Bricks and Sticks

A weekly digest of current trends in housing and community development. The discussion examines topics from infrastructure to community fabric.

Competition Announcement- Blueprint for the Future: A Home for Everyone

RECAP: The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) is pleased to announce a competition to design a home that meets affordability, sustainability and accessibility criteria. The Mission of DHCD is to make Virginia’s communities safe, affordable, and prosperous places in which to live, work and to meet the needs of low- and moderate-income residents and to maximize collaborative efforts and use innovative ways to partner and collaborate in achieving the mission. DHCD sees this competition as an innovative way to promote that mission. The competition is open to all Virginians, including full-time students enrolled in a Virginia high school or institution of higher learning. Entrants may be students, amateurs or professionals, licensed or unlicensed, individuals or teams. Phase One submission deadline is May 1, 2017.
http://www.vagovernorshousingconference.com/index.php/vaghc-annoucements/blueprint-for-the-future-design-competition

New Report Examines Housing Trends In Rural Virginia

RECAP: A growing senior population and aging housing stock are creating new challenges for communities in rural Virginia. A new report from Housing Virginia titled “Meeting Housing Needs in Rural Virginia: Trends, Needs, Gaps, Solutions” highlights the unique challenges of housing needs in the Commonwealth’s less populated regions. “There are significant differences between Virginia’s urban cores and its rural areas,” the report states. “Even more, rural Virginia is not a homogeneous entity – different regions have different housing needs, gaps and trends that warrant unique approaches.
http://www.cfrv.org/single-post/2017/01/16/New-report-examines-housing-trends-in-rural-Virginia

Introducing the 2017 HW Tech100

RECAP: Inclusion on this list is a truly special honor — and here’s why: the HW TECH100 is the only list of tech innovation that captures the entire U.S. housing economy, spanning from real estate to mortgage lending, servicing and investments. Making the cut puts these companies into unique territory as a tech leader in the housing economy. From dot-coms and start-ups to established technology giants, each year the HW TECH100 features the most innovative technology firms driving the U.S. housing economy forward.
http://www.housingwire.com/blogs/1-rewired/post/39457-introducing-the-2017-hw-tech100

Help Us Take The Pulse Of Affordable Housing In Virginia

RECAP: How are YOU feeling about affordable housing in your city, county or town? Housing Virginia wants to take a snapshot of what people on the ground are seeing, thinking, and feeling about housing affordability in their own communities. Housing Virginia has developed a very short and simple survey to test the waters of housing affordability in Virginia with several very broad questions. Housing Virginia wants to know how members of the affordable housing industry perceive the shifting challenge of affordable housing. Let Housing Virginia know how you feel your community is faring – please take TWO MINUTES to help “take the pulse” of affordable housing in Virginia: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HV-Pulse-2017
http://www.housingvirginia.org/news/help-us-take-pulse-affordable-housing-virginia/