The great cities of the world open us up to new possibilities—let’s make sure they stay open to everyone.
Building homes for everyone is really difficult; it involves navigating physical, capital, political and emotional pressures that are usually in conflict. As a result, not many people are working on this problem. We welcome this challenge because we don't want to lose the amazing character of the cities we love.
The new supply of low-income housing is made possible through government subsidies and public vouchers, and we all know that there's no shortage of luxury high-rises going up — but what about everyone in between? Our mission is to house the backbone of every city: the teachers, police officers, firefighters, hospitality workers, students, baristas, bartenders, and entrepreneurs, which in turn makes cities accessible to everyone.
Starcity preserves the original aesthetics of neighborhoods while improving the landscape of cities by converting old commercial buildings into high-density housing. It also engages with local community groups, small businesses, and nonprofit leaders to uncover ways in which Starcity can be a resource to the city and the neighborhood.
“We started a conversation with Starcity and I was pleasantly surprised. Since [our conversation began] they have acted in good faith with the community. They support economic empowerment, the preservation of culture, acknowledgment of [local history]. I can’t say enough about working them, I wish every developer interaction was like working with Starcity.”
Co-Founder, Compton’s Tenderloin Transgender Historic District, Addressing the San Francisco Planning Commission
Starcity loves to convert unloved buildings, parking lots, or underutilized spaces. These vacant, underutilized, and distressed assets are a massive source of raw materials for the production of new housing supply. With some care and expertise, these unloved but often beautiful buildings can be repositioned. By working with regulators to convert their use to group housing and designing beautiful high-density communal homes, we breathe new life into urban decay.
The lack of capital for middle-income developments also means that we, as a society, lack the ability to challenge assumptions about what the middle-income urban dweller needs and desires. How much private space do we need? What do we expect for community and neighborhood interaction? What tradeoffs are we willing to make to have a fulfilling urban experience? To answer these questions, Starcity is reimagining the physical spaces in which we live, with direct input from our members.
Sustainability is the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Starcity’s value engineering takes into consideration both the initial and life-cycle costs of a building. Our approach deals with all the surrounding resources such as water, energy, and materials from their beginning as raw materials until their salvage cycle.
Studies have shown loneliness and social isolation to be major risk factors for mortality. Starcity’s communal homes can be the catalyst to lead people into a more intentional life driven by wellness, which ultimately makes people happier, avoids isolation and potentially increases their life expectancy. We named ourselves Starcity because a star is a source of energy—we welcome you to our galaxy and hope you’ll join us in energizing the cities that we love.
We favor working with partners and vendors that live, work, and contribute to the neighborhoods that Starcity is looking to open in. If you have a small business that you think can provide a service or product to Starcity, please reach out!
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