Affordable Housing, from Urban Planning to Architecture : A Model Project in Medienhafen, Düsseldorf

The big amount of opinions and interpretations of the term “affordable housing” are only a proof of its complexity. Based on that, this thesis approaches the topic from an architecture as well as an urban planning point of view. It evaluates a number of strategies that are being practiced in dealing with the accessibility, living spaces, sustainment and quality of life within housing affordability. By proposing a development concept for the city of Düsseldorf, these strategies are evaluated and put in context. Following the Düsseldorfer housing market, a model project is proposed to be implemented in the Medienhafen, whose qualities offer a great opportunity for an experimental project regarding this issue. The resulting concept shows how flexibility, multi-discipline and communication are the main aspects that need to be taken into consideration in terms of affordable housing. Through these aspects, the proposed project, the “Pixel House”, provides sustainable solutions for the local housing market, which is shaped by high demand and rising prices. Moreover, it acts as a showcase for affordable housing strategies and their implementation methodologies