Design professionals working to implement the NYC Department of Design and Construction's Active Design Guidelines (ADG) cite a lack of information available to discuss the cost of ADG with their developer clients. Throughout 2011, several municipal housing authorities used federal funds to promote active design in affordable housing without adequate information related to available ADG design precedents and cost information. The purpose of this study was to investigate the cost implications of implementing the ADG strategies into the design of family-focused affordable housing in New York City, San Antonio, and Atlanta. The project provided a cost analysis of active design and non-active design strategies within local housing authority projects. Cost data included initial construction cost, estimated maintenance costs and life-cycle costs where appropriate.
