W. P. Carey real estate professor part of team awarded $3M HUD grant

Grant from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development establishes new Arizona Research Center for Housing Equity and Sustainability, focused on housing security, climate, and health.

Last Friday, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded one of its first Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Research Center of Excellence grants to an interdisciplinary ASU team from the Morrison Institute of Public Policy, Geography and Urban Planning, and the W. P. Carey School of Business. The grant funds the Arizona Research Center for Housing Equity and Sustainability (ARCHES), focusing on housing security, climate, and health.

Kimberly Winson-Geideman, clinical professor and director of the division of real state in the W. P. Carey School of Business, is a co-principal investigator (co-PI) on the grant team. "When facing a problem as complex as housing security, it is vital to have a team of experts from different disciplines," says Winson-Geideman. "I am honored to play a role in solving the pressing housing issues in the Southwest alongside my colleagues across ASU and our partner institutions."

ARCHES will consider three main pillars: housing security, specifically equity in access to housing; climate, focusing on more sustainable housing design; and health, centering on the idea that "health starts home." Winson-Geideman's research within ARCHES will explore housing affordability among Hispanic communities in Arizona. "In the last few years, we have seen a real explosion in house prices across the state," she explains. "I hope this research will provide a more complete picture of the impacts of changing markets on underserved groups."

Solomon Greene, principal deputy assistant secretary of HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research, presented the grant on behalf of HUD. "We wanted these Research Center of Excellence grants to be grounded in community," he said. "We were so pleased that ASU took our advice and ensured the research is designed to be responsive to the needs of local communities who might not benefit from some of the more national or coastal research of other major housing centers."

"I am proud that ASU has been awarded one of the first-ever HSI Research Center of Excellence grants. This is a significant milestone for the university and serves as a testament to the dedication, expertise, and commitment of ASU and some of our partner institutions to solve some of the most pressing issues of our time," said Chris Howard, executive vice president and chief operating officer of ASU, in opening remarks for the award ceremony. "By awarding this grant, HUD has recognized the center's role in reshaping our understanding of housing opportunity, equity, and sustainability."

Deirdre Pfeiffer, ARCHES principal investigator and associate professor at the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, had long been interested in doing something bigger in Arizona regarding housing, both within the university and with community partners. "There have been so many one-offs, but the HUD grant opportunity allowed us to bring those ideas together into a center," she explained. "We were ready to hit the ground running because of the other projects in progress and the depth of partnerships. Our high levels of collaboration and cooperation — enhanced by the existing interdisciplinary structure of ASU and UA &mdash, demonstrate our commitment to this important work and acknowledge the enormity of the task at hand."

"The W. P. Carey School is proud to play a role in this community-oriented, practice-based research that will help define and improve housing equity in Arizona," says Ohad Kadan, Charles J. Robel Dean and W. P. Carey Distinguished Chair in Business. "The ASU Charter calls us to take responsibility for the economic, social, cultural, and overall health of the communities we serve. The interdisciplinary goals and expertise of ARCHES help realize that promise."

The new center will also be co-located at the University of Arizona (UA) Drachman Institute. It will have support from 19 key personnel at ASU, UA, Northern Arizona University, and the University of New Mexico.

Images courtesy of Andrew Ten, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.