Complete Story
02/07/2024
Outstanding Graduate Student Award
University of Michigan
Urban and Regional Planning Program
This capstone project provided one of the first assessments of the Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH) property dynamics in a neighborhood along the Joe Louis Greenway (JLG) in Detroit. NOAH properties are market housing whose rents happen to be affordable to low- and moderate-income households. In a country where government subsidized affordable housing is in short supply, preserving NOAH properties is critical in mitigating the housing affordability crisis and preventing resident displacement. Working with the City of Detroit Housing and Revitalization Department, this capstone project examines NOAH preservation issues in the Oakman Boulevard Community neighborhood located along the city’s proposed JLG. Students conducted extensive property and policy research as well as community-engagement activities to assess the risks that small multi-family NOAH properties face and develop recommendations to preserve them. MAP congratulates students Alexis Marie Farrell, Anthony Phan Bui, Christian Carroll, David Kevin Elam, Nicholas Robert Hill, Maria Garcia Reyna, Maya Joy Gingerich Baker, Michelle Marin, Melika Belhaj, Tianhong Ge, Yifei Sun and instructors Lan Deng and Rand Makarem!