In 2023, HUD awarded the University of Texas at Austin $2,459,527 to support the UT Austin Equitable Technologies for Housing Innovation Center (ETHIC). ETHIC is led by the University of Texas at Austin, partnering with Virginia Tech, ADL Ventures, and Texas Southern University. ETHIC aims to be the technological engine for shaping innovative products, policies, and people that provide equitable, affordable, and sustainable housing options for underserved Texans, including Hispanic and Black communities. The objectives of the Center's initial work are three-fold: (1) gaining a better understanding of the spatial patterns that affect housing inequity to improve planning, development, and resilience of affordable housing infrastructure; (2) developing targeted programs to create a new industrialized construction ecosystem to increase the scale of affordable housing production, while empowering and creating more equitable opportunities for a new workforce; and (3) addressing the effects of climate change on housing inequity through sustainable approaches across the housing supply chain.
HSI Centers of Excellence
Arizona State University – Arizona Research Center for Housing Equity and Sustainability (ARCHES)
Texas A&M University – Center for Housing & Urban Development (CHUD)
Texas Tech University – Center of Excellence in Climate Resilient and Equitable Housing (CECREH)
University of Texas at Austin – Equitable Technologies for Housing Innovation Center (ETHIC)