The New Model for Low-Income Housing

Many people think of how-income housing as single room occupancy (SRO) hotels. The Richardson apartments in San Francisco turn this model upside down with beautiful (albeit small) living spaces.

"The 120-unit, five-story building is the kind of place that most city-dwellers would love to live in: It features sustainably harvested wood (including redwood and elm), a landscaped courtyard, a green roof, sunshades outside the apartment windows, solar hot water heating, solar panels, intelligent lighting controls, and low-VOC paints," writes Fast Company's Morgan Clendaniel.

"The apartments also have amenities tailored to the population, including abuse-resistant drywall and cabinets, grab bars everywhere, and wheelchair-accessible showers. The building doesn't have car parking, but it does have parking for bikes--not that tenants would be likely to have a vehicle or even need one in this transit-rich neighborhood."

The building has proved to be extremely popular. Supporters hope the building is just one of many future low-income housing developments in the expensive city.