by Nena Perry-Brown

The tiny houses in Deanwood.

Earlier this year, UrbanTurf reported on DC's Vacant to Vibrant initiatives, one of which involves a tiny home installation. Now, that diminutive demonstration has delivered.

In the rain on Monday, the Department of Community and Housing Development (DHCD) unveiled a pair of tiny homes, constructed in the 1100 block of 50th Place NE (map) in partnership with the DC Students Construction Trades Foundation.

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An image of the tiny home demonstration site when it was still a vacant lot. Click to enlarge.

Students from the Academy of Construction and Design at IDEA Public Charter School in Northeast assembled the two houses, which were designed by Minim House.

"We always have to be open to some of the new ideas that are out there on affordable housing," DHCD Director Polly Donaldson said during her introductory remarks. "[Mayor Bowser] wanted to see what a tiny home would look like, because other cities have actually used tiny homes as a way to house populations that maybe don't need as much living space, but they need a safe and secure place to be."

It remains unclear whether the tiny homes are indicative of the mayor's intention to pursue policy that would legalize their use in the District, whether as emergency shelter or as a less-expensive alternative to traditional housing. The length of time the tiny homes will be on display and their fates following the demonstration are still to be determined.

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This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/dc-debuts-tiny-home-demonstration-in-deanwood/14489