Project 3500 Affordable Housing Charrette Hugh Petter Lecture

This City of Charleston, SC meeting held on March 24, 2026, featured a lecture by Hugh Petter of Adam Architecture focused on traditional urban design and affordable housing development. Petter shared extensive insights from his firm's experience, particularly highlighting a large-scale affordable housing project in Cornwall, UK, known as Nansleden, which integrates 30% affordable homes and commercial units within a mixed-use, walkable community. The project emphasizes local materials, long-term master planning, and social integration through tenure-blind affordable housing clusters. Petter discussed the economic and social benefits of such developments, including increased property values and community cohesion, supported by data and digital planning tools. He also addressed challenges in infrastructure design, regulatory processes, and the importance of engaging local authorities and communities. The lecture underscored the value of strategic, sustainable, and inclusive development models that could inform Charleston's Project 3500 affordable housing initiative. No specific contract awards or procurement actions were detailed, but the discussion highlighted policy and planning approaches that could influence future procurement and development strategies in Charleston.