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For much of the twentieth century, affordable housing in the United States was conceived as a distinct residential category, shaped by financing structures and development practices that separated housing for lower-income residents from the broader civic and commercial functions of the city. Federal housing legislation and subsequent urban renewal policies contributed to the construction of large residential developments that were frequently financed and managed independently of surrounding urban infrastructure. The consequences of this approach, including concentrated poverty, deteriorating buildings, unequal access to services, and the eventual demolition of prominent public housing projects, are extensively documented.

Today, the provision of affordable housing is closely tied to economic and regulatory mechanisms that determine feasibility, from land values and construction costs to zoning regulations and public subsidies. Programs for housing credits play a significant role in financing affordable rental housing, while competitive allocation of resources and pressure to maximize housing delivery place considerable emphasis on regulatory compliance.

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Videos

AI has become a consumer product faster than it has become a discipline. Each week brings new models and more information than anyone can absorb, and the easy response is uncritical consumption. Architecture needs a different strategy, built on criticism and method. AI is now acquiring spatial intelligence, the capacity to understand how physical space behaves, and architects can test a project against its environment while they design it. Used with judgment, AI can bring architects closer to nature and its complexity, and make them better builders. We simulate the world to learn how to inhabit it.

This week's architecture news covers a range of projects addressing the changing needs of cities, from the adaptation of existing sites to the development of new cultural and public spaces. As Antalya prepares to host COP31, projects in Rotterdam and Pittsburgh focus on the renovation of established cultural institutions, while developments in Copenhagen, Chicago, and Tbilisi explore new approaches to recreation, public access, and urban regeneration. Elsewhere, Foster + Partners has revealed plans for a mixed-use development in Yerevan, VG13 Architects has won the competition for a new stadium and sports district in Zagreb, and Aria Property Group has unveiled a residential and public precinct in Brisbane ahead of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

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The Human Shelter: Expedition into What Makes a Home is an exploration of the feeling of home. Directed by Boris Bertram and funded by IKEA, the film looks at present ways of living in Norway, Iraq, the United States, Nigeria, Japan, Uganda, and Iceland, interrogating the role of home in order to project it into the future. Through imagery and personal narratives, the documentary connects the concept of home with landscape, movement and settling, time, migration and security, vulnerability, and nature. How do displaced populations create a home? When does a shelter become a home? Portraits, stories, and shelters across four continents give viewers a glimpse of an answer to these big questions in a one-hour film tour.

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Direct contact with a material allows one to appreciate textures, compare finishes, and observe how its appearance changes under different lighting conditions. At an exhibition, these possibilities are complemented by exchanges with manufacturers and professionals, helping to understand applications and resolve questions about their use. This relationship between material exploration and architectural practice was one of the central pillars of the seventh edition of Obra Blanca, which drew more than 23,000 professionals to Expo Santa Fe in Mexico City.

Balsa Crosetto Piazzi is an architecture practice founded in 2015, based in Córdoba, Argentina, and Boston, USA. Led by architects Juan Manuel Balsa, Rocío Crosetto Brizzio, and Leandro Piazzi, the core of their work is the material side of architecture. For them, a building is not just a finished object, but rather a way to organize everything that goes into making it. Their work is shaped by a slow process; during the construction and design stages, they pay attention to where the materials come from, who does the work, what skills those people already have, and what's actually available nearby. This allows their built work to become a platform that serves as a starting point, bringing all of these pieces together. In that sense, they also describe their projects as opportunities to "deconstruct entrenched conditions."

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An opening between two rooms shapes how people move through a building, what they see from one space to another, and whether an area feels connected or separate. Although doors are among the most frequently used interior architectural elements, their impact on the interior organization is often considered late in the design process. Yet their movement and relationship to surrounding surfaces influence circulation, furniture placement, and the perception of space.

In residential renovations, these decisions are particularly important. Existing walls, structural elements, building services, and ceiling heights can limit options, while new layouts often balance open-plan living with the need for privacy. In new construction, architects have greater freedom to coordinate wall cavities, suspended ceilings, and door mechanisms from the outset.

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