Letter from the HCD KC
Happy new year! The HC DKC had a busy year in 2019! We were thrilled to celebrate and collaborate with housing and community development leaders nationally through our programs and educational opportunities throughout the year. We would like to thank our outstanding HCD KC Advisory Group and AIA staff for making these programs possible! Highlights include the sixteen projects showcased this year through the AIA Housing Awards and AIA/HUD Secretary’s Awards programs and celebratory reception at A’19 as well as the year of monthly webinars featuring outstanding leaders in the field.
Toward the end of the year, we worked with AIA colleagues to advocate toward an agenda focused on affordable housing and community development at the national level, a conversation that we are eager to continue into the new year. We also look forward to continuing to collaborate with partner organizations. In 2019 we co-created educational opportunities and workshops with the Association for Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) and the Association for Community Design (ACD). There are so many opportunities to further cross-pollinate and learn from colleagues working toward more equitable and healthy housing and communities and we are eager to build new connections.
We would also like to call your attention to a current opportunity to contribute to this work:
The AIA HCD KC is seeking a qualified individual to aggregate a body of knowledge around who and how architects and partner professionals are collecting information (both qualitative and quantitative) to demonstrate the impacts of design efforts related to housing and community development. Submissions are due January 31, 2020, before 5pm ET. Click here to learn more.
We are starting the webinar series, in general it is scheduled on the first Monday of each month at noon. We have a great line-up for the year. The next webinar is “The Race is Really the Price: Ecodistrict Planning and Design”, on Monday February 3rd, 12-1 pm ET for 1 LU. Click here for further information.
Finally, we look forward to seeing you at A’20 – we hope you will join us at our first annual Forum and our Wednesday workshop on the design and policy implications of supportive housing, titled: “ Solving the Housing Crisis: Learning From LA Architects & Others (WE201)”.
We are looking forward to a productive year.
Onward,
Ceara O’Leary, 2019 Chair
Etty Padmodipoetro, 2020 Chair
AIA Housing & Community Development KC