August 12, 2020
Well before the impacts of COVID-19, cities and towns across the country were faced with an escalating housing crisis. In 2018, the National Low Income Housing Fund identified that full-time minimum wage workers cannot afford a two-bedroom apartment in any county in the country, and research suggests that both renters and homeowners felt cost-burdened long before the pandemic and its economic effects. Yet housing policy, local land use regulations, NIMBY (“Not In My Back Yard”) opposition and market forces converged with a pandemic to exacerbate already untenable housing costs for far too many. While the solutions to these problems are not simple, their importance strikes at the heart of the work to create more equitable, inclusive, and just communities.
If housing is a human right, and if diverse cities demand diverse housing options, then our methods for providing housing must adapt. During this webinar, Mallory Baches, Director of Strategic Development for CNU, will moderate a discussion between a panel of speakers from across the country representing a breadth of experiences and expertise in addressing housing affordability, access, and the both personal and collective economic impacts of housing. Together, they’ll explore the housing issues that cities are contending with, including the growing eviction rate across the country, state and local housing regulatory reform, innovations in housing provision across diverse needs and demographics, and more.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE WEBINAR SPEAKERS:
- Burhan Azeem - Board member & Treasurer of Abundant Housing MA and Board Member of A Better Cambridge
- Laura Foote - Executive Director of YIMBY Action
- Katie Swenson - Senior Principal of MASS Design Group
- Mallory Baches - Director of Strategic Development for CNU (Moderator)
All live On the Park Bench webinars qualify for one CEU credit from AICP (click here for more on tracking and reporting). Additionally, CNU-A members can earn one CEU credit for all live and recorded On the Park Bench webinars (click here for more information on tracking and reporting).