The Chicago Architecture Center (CAC), the City of Chicago’s Department of Planning and Development (DPD) and Department of Housing (DOH) have launched Come Home, a new design excellence initiative and competition looking to bring infill housing to six target neighborhoods within the city’s INVEST South/West community development program. Aimed at increasing affordable home ownership and incentivizing local emerging developers, Come Home seeks to create a community development model that will welcome current and former Chicago residents “back home.”  The first phase of this competition, the request for qualifications (RFQ), launched this week on architecture.org/comehome. Architecture firms are encouraged to complete the RFQ no later than Monday, January 9. Come Home will support “missing middle density” infill housing as INVEST South/West evolves to focus on residential design. As part of the larger effort, Come Home will focus on the communities of Auburn Gresham, Bronzeville, East Garfield Park, Englewood, Humboldt Park, and Woodlawn. In due course the competition activities will yield to a final Build Phase where select winning designs will be brought to fruition as new case study homes. The city is committed to delivering 30-100 affordable units as the final exclamation point to this ambitious competition. Construction is estimated to commence in the second half of 2023.