The students were asked to form groups and choose an existing housing project that they could analyze. The four projects chosen represented a variety of types, sizes, funding agencies, funding mechanisms, and regions:

1. Cambodia: A project aimed at community upgrading, the Urban Poor Development Fund is funded by a small NGO in Thailand.
2. Indonesia: This project, funded by the World Bank, was created to coordinate funds donated by multiple countries to rebuild towns devestated by the Indian OceanTsunami.
3. Peru: This World Bank-funded project was one of the first Site and Services projects in the world.
4. Zimbabwe: This USAID-funded project aimed to improve the living conditions of the urban poor by granting loans for housing materials.

Using the Project Appraisal Document or similar documentation of the project, the groups prepared presentations on specific aspects of their project on a weekly basis.

1. Main goals and project features
2. Project Organization and Staffing
3. Funding Flows and Project Costs
4. Cost Recovery
5. Project Beneficiaries and Affordability
6. Community Participation

At the end of the course, the students had compiled a complete analysis of their housing project, which they condensed and presented in the final debate.