The Austin Housing Conservancy has received one of the most esteemed national and international honors in the field of real estate and land development: the Urban Land Institute Americas Award for Excellence.

The Austin Housing Conservancy won the honor for its "unique workforce affordable housing model, created in Austin and successfully implemented in Austin," according to a press statement. "It has changed the way affordable multifamily properties can be funded, acquired and preserved. Through its private equity real estate fund, affordable housing is preserved for Austin area nurses, teachers, musicians, and other members of the workforce earning between 60-80% of median income."

The Conservancy competed with submittals from across North America, with judges looking for projects that "represent the highest standards of achievement in the land use profession and encompass a wide range of land uses, sizes, investments, and geographic locations," according to a ULI press release.

The Austin Housing Conservancy is "especially deserving of this honor for their tireless efforts to proactively address the critical issue of housing affordability across Central Texas. By purchasing and preserving multi-family properties to maintain affordable rates, they are making a real difference in the lives of individuals vital to our community’s success," ULI Austin's Paulette Gibbins said.

The Austin Housing Conservancy Fund is a private equity real estate fund founded to address multifamily housing affordability for the Austin area workforce, primarily those earning 60-80 percent of median area income. Nonprofit general partner and investment manager Affordable Central Texas (ACT), works with the Conservancy to ensure Austin’s by building  social impact fund aimed at preserving multifamily apartment properties for long-term affordability as well as providing programs to build community and improve resident outcomes, according to the release.

This year, 52 projects and programs from across the Americas region were submitted for the ULI competition. The 13-member jury, composed of development, finance, planning, urban design, architecture, and landscape architecture experts, selected 18 finalists.

The 2024 ULI Americas Awards for Excellence winners include:
● 550 Madison – New York, N.Y., USA
● Austin Housing Conservancy – Austin, Texas, USA
● Avivo Village – Minneapolis, Minn., USA
● Bottleworks District – Indianapolis, Ind., USA
● Canary Landing – Maple House – Toronto, Ontario, CA
● Cleveland Foundation Headquarters – Cleveland, Ohio, USA
● East Campus Modernization Project – Redmond, Wash., USA
● Lincoln Common – Chicago, Ill., USA
● Mill Creek Valley – Pillars of the Valley – St. Louis, Mo., USA
● Omaha RiverFront Revitalization – Omaha, Neb., USA