The Housing types found in Minneapolis today were developed in response to the societal needs of the past when density, land available, and economy were not concerns. The nuclear family was the target audience for the housing market and developers of the past and present. Today, the nuclear family does not represent a large portion of the population and is virtually not relevant anymore. The focus of the housing market, developers, and designers need to shift from the nuclear family focus and directed towards the understanding and innovating for the modern-day family. Research needs to be implemented and innovation achieved pertaining to the accommodation of the needs of the modern-day family; when land, density, and economics are major issues that most urban centers, not just Minneapolis, urgently need to address.

My intent for my Master’s Finals Project is to provide supportive housing that blends traditional supportive housing services to meet the needs of single family households with educational services, job training, and mentoring for the expressed purposes of stabilizing the lives of women and children. The profile of the users I am trying to accommodate will consist of a single parent with one child and a single parent with two children.

It needs to be pointed out that over half of the projected population growth, 893,000, added to our region will only have one income. The populations that account for the growth I am trying to highlight are found in households consisting of individuals living alone and single-parent with children. I am very interested in formulating my Master’s Finals Project around this changing demographic. The housing trends found within Minneapolis are changing from the conventional two parent and a child household with two incomes to a new modern day household with one income. I would like to explore a scalable housing model that is safe, affordable, and innovative to meet the needs of households with one income.