Graduate student Heidi Kline assesses government policies as part of an affordable housing project
Affordable housing is difficult to find in the Lehigh Valley. Between a high demand and low inventory for inexpensive housing, people are left with limited options. Graduate research assistant Heidi Kline has spent the summer studying the development of Alley Houses in Bethlehem with the vision of creating case studies that can assist small cities across the country experiencing the same challenges.
Alley Houses are a housing type native to Bethlehem and a precursor to contemporary accessory dwelling units, or ADU, a secondary housing unit on a single-family residential lot. An ADU can be fully detached from a primary residence or even in a garage. Working with the Alley House Program – a project within the College of Arts and Sciences’ Small Cities Lab – Kline collaborated with undergraduate architecture major Margaret Mancusi-Ungaro to create a list of about 380 small cities that have ADU ordinances. From that list, she is examining different metrics of a city, such as population and age of housing. Kline hopes to come up with about 10 case studies based on her analysis.
Spotlight Recipient
Heidi Kline
Graduate Student