CU Denver Launches Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate in Affordable Housing

The term affordable housing is often heard in cities, politics, and business, but what does it actually mean? For CU Denver faculty, the issue is as complex as it is important—and addressing it requires multidisciplinary and multisectoral approaches. That’s why the College of Architecture and Planning (CAP), the School of Public Affairs (SPA), and the Center for New Directions in Politics and Public Policy within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) have partnered to launch the university’s first-ever graduate certificate in affordable housing.

The certificate is geared toward graduate students who are interested in pursuing a career in government administration or policy, nonprofit, architecture, real estate, or finance, as well as working professionals who want to boost their portfolio, and individuals looking to make a career shift.

Students will learn about the many layers that impact affordable housing—and that relate to their future or current career goals—including design, finance, policy, planning, and development. “If you don’t understand what layer you are specializing in, you won’t be very effective in navigating the system,” said Tanya Heikkila, PhD, professor of public affairs and co-director of the certificate.

About the Certificate

Generally, affordable housing is a term that means people can afford housing that meets their income. For most people in the U.S., that means housing costs are no more than 30% of their household’s annual gross income, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA) administers several programs to reduce housing costs for Coloradans. It is also one of CU Denver’s industry partners and provided a generous gift to support the new graduate certificate.

But there are misconceptions about affordable housing that don’t account for the different types, like workforce housing (for essential workers, such as teachers and nurses), transitional housing (a temporary option for those experiencing homelessness), and others. “Affordable housing is not a negative term; it means it is attainable,” said Carrie Makarewicz, PhD, associate professor and department chair of CAP’s Urban and Regional Planning Department and a certificate advisor. She added, “Housing is very much responsive to and affected by the local economy.”

The certificate is informed by several engagements with housing experts, including a series of focus groups with 65 professionals from the nonprofit, private, and public sectors, led by Makarewicz, the certificate’s two co-directors, Heikkila and Jenny Steffel Johnson, PhD, assistant teaching professor in CAP’s Urban and Regional Planning Department, and several graduate students. As a result, the curriculum not only addresses the basics of affordable housing, but it also prepares learners with the knowledge to address Colorado’s pressing housing challenges, like affordability, new legislation, politics, development costs, land use, and more.

Students can now apply for the certificate, which is 12 or 13 credit hours and covers a fundamentals course, a development finance and process course, and two electives. The certificate completes with a “culminating experience,” taken as an independent study or participation in an interdisciplinary project-based course.

Industry Impact

Students, employees, and community members got a sense of the relevance of the graduate certificate at a March 6 installment of the First Fridays with SPA series, titled “Unpacking the Complex Landscape of Affordable Housing: Where Policy, Planning, and Real Life Collide.” The event featured a panel discussion with leaders from city government, a regional nonprofit, and housing authorities from across the Front Range.

Steve Johnson, CHFA’s chief operating officer, provided opening remarks and commended CU Denver for filling an important industry need. “We’re very siloed and we tend to solve problems that shouldn’t exist in the first place,” he said. “We say, how can we collaborate better on these 30 funding sources instead of saying, why do we have 30 funding sources? … I think academia can be a big part of the solution going forward because you bring fresh ideas.”

Panelists spoke about the challenges facing affordable housing, the need for affordable housing in urban and rural communities across the state, and the importance of strategy. Panelist Debra Bristol, executive director of the Brighton Housing Authority (BHA), shared a success story: Her team is breaking ground on a 46-unit, senior housing project this spring. “We did that by working with the city staff directly to break down barriers to administrative needs,” Bristol said, adding, “When we empower the individuals who are working on these projects and know what they are doing to do the job, you can get a project built in two-and-a-half years.”