The Affordable Housing XPRIZE focuses on a fundamental aspect of Maslow’s Pyramid of Needs – the need for safe, affordable, and desirable housing. Housing is one of our most basic human needs, yet due to rapidly increasing urbanization, it is in alarmingly short supply in our very own neighborhoods, our nations, and throughout the world.

The Affordable Housing Visioneers Team seeks to spark exponential leaps in construction technologies, speed and safety – ultimately decreasing both the time and cost it takes to make affordable housing available. The time to act is now. Information-enabled technologies are ripe to revolutionize the construction industry and solve this affordability crisis, creating meaningful change worldwide.

The world is experiencing a global housing crisis. About 1.6 billion people live in substandard housing. Access to affordable and secure housing enables a healthier society; a lack thereof leaves individuals vulnerable and ultimately limits access to other necessities for healthy living such as healthcare and education.

The housing crisis, while affected by many factors, stems also from a lack of innovation in the construction industry over the past 250 years. It is no surprise, therefore, that global housing supply continues to fall depressingly short of demand, resulting in an ever-growing global deficit of 300 million housing units. As a result, 23 percent of earth's inhabitants lack affordable and secure housing. Within 15 years, it is estimated this percentage will rise to 40 percent of the total world population.