Housing and Neighborhoods

WRT's interdisciplinary team of planners, architects, and landscape architects work with community groups and leaders to transform neighborhoods and build resilient communities.

WRT approaches housing as a neighborhood revitalization opportunity, harnessing social, cultural, education and heritage resources, as well as best practices in sustainable site development and high-quality building design to create walkable, transit-friendly communities.

As the nation’s seminal affordable housing architect and planner, WRT’s revitalization plans have been awarded more than $1 billion in implementation grants. Additionally, the firm has been responsible for designing more than 15,000 mixed-income housing units nationwide. We understand the developer model and have an excellent track record in competitive funding environments. 

Master Planning / Engagement

WRT specializes in master planning complex urban sites with a focus on mixed-income housing. We have been engaged in 12 Choice Neighborhoods projects with three awarded more than $30 million in grants. We have completed 39 successful HOPE VI master plans and many more multi-phased master plans of LIHTC funded communities. WRT is an expert in community engagement during the master planning process and takes pride in genuinely incorporating and addressing community input. We take an approach that is minimally disruptive to residents and optimal for the larger community.

Design for Lasting Impact

Our work requires an iterative process that depends upon, and is responsive to, local community values and aspirations, our national perspective on place-based design, and a commitment to understanding the site-specific opportunities and challenges as a basis for strategic decision-making.

We see our work as supporting and expressing an alignment of the collective needs and values of a community.

Commitment to Sustainability

We aim to use a predictive energy use model for 100% of our buildings so we can inform our designs and make sound decisions that maximize their energy efficiency, applying the lessons learned from our highest-performing buildings across our entire portfolio. We also apply energy modeling to our neighborhood and community planning projects because early planning decisions like building orientation, building massing, and even the choice to include porches can have dramatic effects on energy performance over the life of a building.

Our Approach

Using a rigorous design process, we create solutions for our clients’ most immediate challenges—but we also consider and calibrate the impact of our work to accommodate future challenges. We don’t impose a particular aesthetic, but rather work within the context of a place to identify common goals and find the best solution through robust community engagement and consideration. 

Project Types

Neighborhood Planning
Choice Neighborhoods
Affordable Housing
Mixed-Use Housing
Mixed Income Housing
Senior Housing
Market Rate Housing
Student Housing