Forest City’s development of Stapleton in Denver is once again in the news, and this time it’s national recognition.

Homes for Working Families, a national, nonprofit organization working to increase the availability of homes within reach of working families, along with Urban Land Institute (ULI) and the Fannie Mae Foundation, recently released a new research report, “Solving America’s Shortage of Homes Working Families Can Afford: Fifteen Success Stories.”

The report looks at 15 programs that are successfully addressing the severe shortage of homes that working families can afford. Resiliency and adaptability are the hallmarks of every solution highlighted in this report.

Stapleton is one of the successful examples highlighted in the report.

“This research is our first step in illustrating solutions and principles for communities seeking to provide homes within the reach of working families,” said Beverly Barnes, executive director, Homes for Working Families. “These examples can help guide others looking to change policies, practices and programs that affect the availability of affordable homes.”

Stapleton is a mixed-use, master-planned community currently under construction on the former site of Denver’s Stapleton International Airport. At 7.5 square miles (4,700 acres), it is one of the largest urban infill projects in the nation.

The report stated that Stapleton’s success is a result of the partnership between the city of Denver and Forest City. Denver seized the opportunity to create a sustainable new urbanist community with 10 percent of the for-sale housing reserved for low to moderate income families.

“Forest City believes that the strongest, most viable communities are the communities that offer housing that is affordable to a wide range of incomes,” said Forest City Stapleton Director of Housing Initiatives Melissa Knott. “Our commitment to work in a partnership with the citizens of Metropolitan Denver and their elected offi cials to provide affordable homeownership and rental housing at Stapleton has been one of the keys to our success in developing one of the nation’s most widely acclaimed urban neighborhoods.”

ULI’s analysis of the case studies yielded a set of principles, which indicate that increasing the supply of homes within reach of working families demands a willingness to experiment with creative solutions.

“These 15 snapshot case studies provide a portrait of the progress that is possible when enlightened public policy is joined with innovative partnerships and creative problem solving,” said ULI’s Senior Resident Fellow for Housing John McIlwain. “In order to successfully increase the supply of homes within reach of working families in today’s economic climate, America’s communities must begin exploring unconventional tactics and strategies.”