• January 10 – Webinar informational event
• February 15 – Team registration and short proposals due
• February 22 – Team finalists invited to submit full proposal
• April 15 – Full proposals due
• May 1 – Three finalists announced
• Mid-May – Finalist Presentations and Winner Selected at the annual Kreisman Housing Initiative Symposium (Date and time of Symposium will be confirmed in early January)

Eligibility:

Eligible entrants must be current students matriculating at the University of Chicago who are 18 years and older, who register by January 15, 2025 at 5:00 PM CT, and whose entry, participation and receipt of the award will not violate applicable law. 

Sponsor:

The Kreisman Initiative Housing Challenge (“the KIHC”) is sponsored by Kreisman Initiative for Housing Law & Policy, which is part of the Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation.

Agreement to Official Rules:

Entering the KIHC constitutes entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to and acceptance of these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor and its representatives, which are final and unappealable. Winning an award is contingent upon being compliant with these Official Rules and fulfilling all other requirements set forth herein.

Timeline and selection process:

Team registration and 500-word short proposals are due February 15, 2025, by 5 pm CT. On or about February 22, 2025, a panel of experts, selected by the Sponsor, will select three or more teams (“Semi-finalists”) to move on to the next round of competition. On or about May 1, 2025,  three Finalists will be selected to move on to the final round of the competition, in which each team will give a 15-minute presentation of their proposal at the Kreisman Initiative Annual Symposium, be to held in mid-May. A winner will be announced at the Symposium.

Participation in Symposium:

All team members are required to be present in person and actively participate in the final Symposium presentation. Teams that fail to meet this requirement will be disqualified.

By participating in the challenge, all team members agree to this requirement and commit to being present and engaged during the Symposium.

Award:

Winning team – $5,000

Two runner-ups: $500, per team

Each team should be a minimum of two students. There is no limit on the number of students on a team, although it is not a good idea to have too many. An ideal number is 3-5 students.

For this challenge, students with a diverse range of backgrounds, interests and skillsets will be needed. Specifically, some engagement with the following areas is needed: housing policy, urban planning, housing development and finance, stakeholder engagement, data analysis, and GIS. At least one member of the team will need to perform basic GIS tasks for the locational aspects of the proposal. GIS will be needed to identify available land and buildings suitable for new housing development or rehabilitation/conversion. Submissions must include maps that identify housing supply strategies.

We realize that students may need help with team formation. Students with GIS experience might not have exposure to housing policy or financing, and vice versa. We encourage you to sign up with this Google Sheet to indicate your interests, skills, and to find others looking for teammates.

What are the criteria for a successful proposal?

The winning proposal will be clear, creative, and reality-based. Maps and graphics will be used to present a convincing argument. The proposal will have a logical flow, be free of jargon, and make use of innovative, envelope-pushing ideas. The proposal will proactively respond to the political hurdles that might be encountered.

What level of affordability do the 126,125 units need to have?

The 126,125 number is the shortage of affordable rental units for Extremely Low Income (ELI) renters—renters whose income is 30% (or below) of the Area Median Income. Please refer to The Gap report for more details.

What size do the units need to be?

That is up to your team, but you should try to provide for a range of housing sizes, if possible. You might refer to the City’s Area Median Income Chart which lists AMI by household size.

Do all team member have to participate in the Symposium presentation?

Yes. All team members must be present, in person, and must participate.

Is this to be only for the City of Chicago? 

Yes, please limit your proposal to Chicago city boundaries.

Are there budgetary constraints?

You can make a reasonable estimate of available revenue based on federal, state and local funds that might be available, as well as funding from the non-profit sector. As one benchmark, on the municipal side, according to the Urban Institute, city governments typically spend 3% of their budgets on housing. Chicago’s recently approved budget for all funds totals $17.3 billion.

How much detail is needed for the financial analysis?

We do not expect detailed financial calculations. Instead, provide a general explanation of how your funding strategies will cover costs. Give ballpark estimates for sources of funding and expected costs, where feasible.

Can I be on more than one team?

Yes. There is no limit on team membership.

How big should the team be?

The team should be a minimum of two students. There is no limit on the number of students on a team, although it is not a good idea to have too many. An ideal number is 3-5 students.

Can teams be made up of a combination of undergraduate and graduate students?

Yes.

Is there a limit on the number of maps included?

No. But it is best to keep the number of maps under 8. 

Is there a limit on the number of pages?

Full proposals should not exceed 10 pages, inclusive of maps, graphics and text. Endnotes and references (bibliography) do not count toward the page limit.

Should there be a bibliography?

Yes. Cite all sources and include a bibliography. References do not count toward the 10 page proposal limit.

Should we use endnotes, footnotes, or in-text author/date?

That is up to your team. Note that footnotes are included in the page count, whereas endnotes and bibliographies are not.

For additional questions, please contact Aimee Giles at aimeeg@uchicago.edu.