Today’s Solutions: February 17, 2025

Developing public lands for af

Developing public lands for affordable homes

A radical solution is taking root in the magnificent landscapes of the American West, where growing demand for housing collides with huge state-owned trust lands. States are looking for creative ways to repurpose these lands, which were originally earmarked to fund schools and local communities, to Read More...

From diapers to dwellings: a s

From diapers to dwellings: a surprising (and sustainable) housing solution

Access to affordable housing is a basic human right, yet it remains a major concern, especially in low-income countries. The cost of building materials, which can account for up to 80 percent of total construction costs, frequently stymies development. Despite the fact that other materials such as Read More...

Wine silos transformed into housing in Amsterdam

Architects transform old wine silos into apartments to minimize resources

Breathing new life into old things is one of the best ways we humans can reduce the number of resources extracted from the environment. A new development in Amsterdam did just that by creatively repurposing former industrial wine silos into residential buildings. Beyond reusing the obsolete silos, Read More...

Mass timber structure against blue sky in the background

Amsterdam plans to build its first wooden neighborhood in centuries

When it comes to sustainable urban development, Amsterdam stands out as a metropolis ready to integrate a variety of strategies to make the city more livable and eco-friendly: from underwater bike garages to energy-sharing, floating villages. Now, the city is planning to build an entire Read More...

San Francisco Tenderloin

A victory against rent-hikes for Tenderloin residents

At The Optimist Daily, we're happy to see solutions to the housing crisis. While we enjoy innovative solutions, we also love to see communities coming together to help their members hold onto their homes in the face of increasing rent prices. In 2016, when a new owner took over 285 Turk Street, Read More...

CA introduces trio of laws to

CA introduces trio of laws to make housing more affordable and sustainable

With new policies surrounding oil extraction, recycling, and building codes, California has led the way on green policymaking this year. Now, the state is taking aim at low-carbon affordable housing with a series of new laws that remove red tape surrounding progressive construction. The first Read More...

Affordable housing and vertica

Affordable housing and vertical farms: A match made in heaven?

We’ve written about vertical farms and affordable housing extensively at The Optimist Daily, but never have we seen these two concepts combined. Until now, that is. This is the exact combination we’re going to witness in Westbrook, Maine, where a multistory greenhouse is being constructed Read More...

NOAHs: Charlotte has a formula

NOAHs: Charlotte has a formula for long-lasting affordable housing

We recently shared how empty retail space could be the solution to California’s affordable housing crisis. Across the country in North Carolina, the city of Charlotte is taking another innovative approach to housing security. Investors have recently established a $58 million fund to purchase Read More...

Empty retail space could be th

Empty retail space could be the solution to California’s housing crisis

According to the California Housing Partnership, the golden state needs at least 1.3 million affordable housing units to truly begin to address the mounting housing crisis. Many lawmakers and activists see California’s underused big box stores and strip malls as a solution to this problem and Read More...

Affordable housing design uses

Affordable housing design uses plastic waste to build sustainable homes

There are hundreds of millions of tons of plastic waste in the environment all over the globe, threatening both human health and natural ecosystems. What if we could take this problem and use it to solve another one? That’s the line of thinking behind a new ambitious project aiming to build Read More...