New Ideas and New Directions for Affordable Housing

On any given night, more than 650,000 people in the United States—many with families and full-time jobs—experience homelessness. The shortfall in affordable housing is estimated to be 5 million units or more. Devastating effects of these conditions include an increase in multigenerational poverty, a decrease in economic mobility, and—since the housing crisis has a disproportionate impact on communities of color—a heightening of racial injustice.

Just as there was no single cause of the crisis, there is no single cure. Assembled here for a panel discussion are economists, scholars, architects, planners, and community organizers to address diverse aspects of the subject.

Panelists:
Victor Body-Lawson, FAIA, Principal, Body Lawson Associates
Michael Gecan, author; Senior Advisor, Industrial Areas Foundation
Alexander Gorlin, FAIA, Principal, Alexander Gorlin Architects
Robert Kuttner, columnist; Meyer and Ida Kirstein Professor, Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management

Moderator: Margery Perlmutter, RA, land use lawyer
Introduction: Victoria Newhouse, architectural historian, editor, and author

About the Speakers:
Victor Body-Lawson, FAIA, is principal of Body Lawson Associates. Founded in 1993, BLA's services include architecture, urban design, historic preservation, as well as a specialization in multi-family housing.

Michael Gecan is the former co-director and current senior advisor to the Industrial Areas Foundation. He is the author of the books Going Public: An Organizer’s Guide to Citizen Action and After America’s Midlife Crisis, as well as essays for the Boston Review, Village Voice, Nation, and other publications.

Alexander Gorlin, FAIA, is principal of Alexander Gorlin Architects and co-editor of Housing the Nation: Social Equity, Architecture, and the Future of Affordable Housing. He has built more than 1,000 units of affordable housing in NYC.

Robert Kuttner is co-founder and co-editor of the American Prospect and Meyer and Ida Kirstein Professor at Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management. He was a longtime columnist for Business Week, the Boston Globe, and the Washington Post syndicate. Kuttner’s most recent book is Going Big: FDR’s Legacy, Biden’s New Deal, and the Struggle to Save Democracy.

Victoria Newhouse is an architectural historian and co-editor of Housing the Nation: Social Equity, Architecture, and the Future of Affordable Housing. She is the author of six books.

Margery Perlmutter is a land-use lawyer and architect. Perlmutter served as chair and commissioner of the NYC Board of Standards and Appeals during the de Blasio administration.

If you register for a virtual ticket, you will receive an email with a Zoom link to access the program.