row1
On a side street in Selma, Alabama, sits a simple, two-bedroom house, complete with a perfectly shingled roof and a front porch just right for rocking chairs.
So, what makes this house different from any other?
First, it is the result of a partnership between many different groups, including Auburn University Outreach, Auburn’s College of Architecture, Design and Construction (CADC), the City of Selma and a host of other Auburn units and external partners.
And second, it is a sign of hope — the first home built by this coalition as part of a long-term strategy for neighborhood revitalization in Selma.
Recovery and rebuilding
In January 2023, an EF-2 tornado ripped through the city, destroying at least 340 structures and displacing more than 700 residents. Local officials had already been in talks with CADC’s Rural Studio Front Porch Initiative — a housing research and outreach branch of the off-campus design-build program in Newbern, Alabama — about how to improve the city’s housing situation.
The damage caused by the tornado made the need for safe, affordable housing more pressing and urgent.
After the tornado hit, local and national organizations stepped up to assist in relief, recovery and rebuilding efforts. Community leaders and residents formed the Selma Long-Term Recovery Group, and regional and national non-profit organizations — including the Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church, Mennonite Disaster Service, Samaritan’s Purse and Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America — provided resources for relief, case management and rebuilding.
When Auburn joined to help develop a long-term housing development strategy, that partnership grew to include:
- Auburn University Outreach
- Rural Studio Front Porch Initiative
- City of Selma Planning and Development Department
- Selma Housing Authority
- Black Belt Community Foundation
These partners secured a $1 million grant, with funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and matching funds from the Wells Fargo Housing Foundation, Regions Bank, Auburn’s Office of the Provost, University Outreach, the Alabama Cooperative Extension System and CADC.
Now, Front Porch Initiative, which shares Rural Studio-generated housing design plans with community partners across the country, is on the ground in Selma, working to connect the organizations building homes with research that will make them more resilient and affordable.
“The Front Porch Initiative is a connector grounded in housing design, but it is much bigger than that,” said David Hinson, CADC’s associate dean for research. “It’s not just the designs of the students; it’s about making systems work better and building campus partnerships that extend through the communities, reaching out to organizations and governmental collaborators.”
A house that can do it all
While the first homes built by the partnership in Selma were designed by external organizations, the Front Porch Initiative is hoping to see some of its own designs built next.
The current house has been built to beyond-code resilience standards, based on principles outlined in the FORTIFIED home standards. This means the home’s roof is secured and sealed to resist high winds and keep water out and features a “continuous load path,” adding extra strength to the home by securing the roof to the walls, the walls to the floor and the floor to the foundation.
Not only are the Front Porch Initiative’s designs built to that standard, but they will also increase occupant safety thanks to a new research project called “Mark’s Home” that is currently underway at Rural Studio.
“Mark’s Home is a prototype for the kind of work we want to do in Selma,” said Associate Research Professor Mackenzie Stagg. “Normally, you would either build to FORTIFIED standards, or you would build a tornado-safe room following FEMA guidelines. Working with the students at Rural Studio allows us to look at what happens when you do both, and what we learn from there will inform our work in Selma.”
Rural Studio has been designing affordable housing for years, but recently, the focus has shifted to building homes that are also affordable to own. That means lowering replacement costs for insurers and monthly bills for homeowners.
For insurers leery of having to pay for storm damage, building to FORTIFIED standards can lead to a reduction in post-storm insurance claims, which could mean lower deductibles and less post-storm displacement for homeowners. Furthermore, an energy-efficient structure means lower monthly utility bills through proper insulation and energy-efficient windows and doors, appliances and heating and cooling systems.
Not only do these features reduce operational and maintenance costs, but they also lead to a safer and more comfortable home.
In it for the long haul
With continued backing from Auburn, Stagg said the City of Selma is working to develop a holistic housing strategy to revitalize neighborhoods, recover from the impact of the tornado and attract more industry to the community. The Front Porch Initiative is supporting city planners in creating a “playbook” for housing development and homeownership in the city by outlining procedures, mapping processes and identifying tools the city can utilize to incentivize development.
Additionally, Auburn is continuing to search for resources to support the city of Selma in these efforts. A recent $500,000 grant from the Wells Fargo Housing Foundation will provide funding for the partnership to construct houses, the city to administer housing programs and Auburn faculty and staff to continue providing design and technical assistance.
Additionally, the Wells Fargo grant will allow Auburn to share findings from Selma with other communities in the Southeast.
“After the January 2023 tornado, there were many people at Auburn who were interested in working in Selma, and we realized that it made sense to build a cohesive effort,” Stagg said. “This first house was about figuring out the processes and building these partnerships into long-term relationships, but we want to set up a sustainable system that gets folks back into houses in Selma. This is not just a short-term plan.”
