Housing and Community Development

Cultural adequacy is one of the seven key elements in the United Nations' definition of the right to housing [ohchr.org]. Even though it is codified in international law, designing affordable housing in the U.S. that supports diverse cultures can seem daunting, given the complex economics and regulations of our housing system. But there are architects that have found ways to promote cultural adequacy, primarily through sustained engagement with communities. Join Ray Demers, Senior Director at Enterprise Community Partners, and Joseph Kunkel, Principal and Director of MASS Design Group's Sustainable Native Communities Design Lab, will share community design techniques and case studies with the Santo Domingo Tribal Housing Authority and others. The program, with an introduction by Karen Kubey, convener of the AIA Right-to-Housing Working Group, will inspire and help advance your understanding and practice of culturally adequate housing.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the UN declaration on the right to adequate housing, and why cultural adequacy is critical element towards that end.
2. Learn how practitioners use cultural adequacy as a core tool in their design & development
3. Learn strategies for how to get started on resident and community engagement.
4. Hear from a practitioner well versed in deep, community and cultural engagement, and understand what kind of results that approach could yield in your design & development projects.