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Why this symposium, and why now?

We are facing one of the most urgent housing crises in recent memory, in the United States and globally.

In the U.S., we are grappling with a shortage of more than 4.5 million homes. Rising construction costs, high interest rates, aging infrastructure, restrictive zoning laws, underinvestment in affordable housing, and climate-related disasters have all converged to make stable, affordable housing increasingly out of reach for millions.

Cities around the world, from Toronto to Shanghai to London to Nairobi, are struggling with similar challenges: rapid urbanization, rising inequality, and the devastating effects of climate change on housing stock.

Despite the scale of the problem, conversations about housing policy, finance, technology, and design often remain siloed—but they need to be deeply integrated. We felt an urgency to act now. This symposium brought together leaders from across sectors—policymakers, architects, technologists, advocates—to have interdisciplinary, solutions-oriented conversations. Our panels tackled everything from homelessness to manufactured housing to the promise of artificial intelligence (AI) in construction.

We are at an inflection point and risk further deepening inequities without bold collaboration. But if we act together—bridging expertise, inspiring innovation, and putting human dignity at the center of our work—we have the opportunity to reshape the future of housing for generations to come. This symposium was one small, urgent step toward that larger goal.

How did you decide which voices needed to be in the room? Where are the gaps?

We were very intentional about curating the voices for the symposium. Solving the housing crisis requires collaboration across sectors, so it was crucial to bring together a mix of leaders—public sector officials, private sector innovators, nonprofit advocates, and academic experts.

From the public sector, we made sure to represent all three levels of government: , former U.S. Acting Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; Gina McLaughlin MC/MPA 2023, senior advisor to the Massachusetts’ Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities; and, at the local level, of Braintree, Massachusetts. Their insights illustrated how federal, state, and municipal actions must align to create change. From the private sector, we brought in voices from real estate finance, property technology, and modular housing—sectors that are shaping how housing gets built, financed, and delivered. Nonprofit leaders and academics added critical perspectives on equity, sustainability, and long-term systems change.

As for gaps, one area that remains top of mind is how to bridge the conversation between housing and infrastructure more fully. The housing crisis in the U.S. is unfolding alongside aging infrastructure, climate challenges, and outdated urban systems. Future discussions should explore how infrastructure investment—from transportation to energy to green public space—can directly support more resilient, affordable, and inclusive housing. Bringing these worlds closer together is essential if we are to design communities that work for everyone.

Were there moments during the event that challenged your own assumptions about the housing crisis?

Definitely. I had a fairly straightforward view coming into this work: I believed that NIMBYism [“Not In My Backyard”] and the over financialization in the housing markets were the primary drivers of the crisis. Both are undeniably important, but the conversations at the symposium made it clear that reality is far more complex—layered, cumulative, and deeply structural.

Through our panels, I gained a deeper appreciation for how long- and short-term factors intertwine. Long-term issues—the legacy of urban renewal policies, persistent climate risks, restrictive zoning laws, demographic shifts, and broader economic changes—have been building up for decades, shaping the landscape in ways that can't be reversed overnight. At the same time, short-term pressures like the lingering impacts of COVID-19, soaring construction costs, and high interest rates have added immediate, visible strain to the system.

One of the biggest takeaways for me was realizing there is no simple explanation for the crisis—and no silver bullet solution. Addressing the housing shortage will require a combination of strategies across different fronts, from policy reform to technological innovation to community-driven advocacy. It’s a long game that demands systemic change and short-term action. The symposium helped reinforce the need for patience, collaboration, and humility in approaching a deeply entrenched and multifaceted challenge.

Housing is often talked about in silos—policy here, design over there. What happens when you bring those conversations together?

Housing is one of the most multifaceted issues of our time—it sits at the intersection of policy, finance, design, climate, and technology. That’s why when I founded the symposium, I believed it was crucial that students from ����vlog���� and GSD organized it together.

We brought together 32 speakers across nine panels, discussing topics from homelessness to manufactured housing, property technology, and climate-resilient infrastructure. But beyond the panels, we also curated a to highlight how policy and design are inseparable when it comes to building livable, affordable communities. Works like “Urban Gathering” situated in Mexico City showed how urban water management ties directly into housing access. “How to Grow a Bamboo House?” proposed affordable, resilient homes using sustainable materials, while  “Decompressing East Boston” explored the intersection of environmental resilience and housing affordability in post-industrial cities.

Design requires imagination; policy requires systems thinking. Together, they both need pragmatism, empathy, and a deep understanding of human experience. When you bring these conversations together, you realize housing is not just about units or regulations—it’s about creating places where people can thrive. You move from siloed technical solutions to holistic strategies that connect infrastructure, equity, and community wellbeing.

Was there a moment during the event where you felt, “This is why we did this”?

There was one particular moment during the panel. As the young panelists—with backgrounds in land use planning, real estate technology, construction innovation, and venture capital—shared their stories, it became clear how interconnected and human this work truly is.

Hearing my classmate and friend, Amy Tomasso, who is pursuing her at GSD, explain how “missing middle” housing is not just a technical or zoning issue but a path to more walkable, affordable inclusive communities really struck a chord.

Meanwhile, student Alex Park and founder Dan Goldstern offered brutally honest reflections on how hard it is to get new technology adopted in the real estate and construction sectors—not because people don’t care, but because the risks and incentives are deeply entrenched. Will Sternlicht ����vlog����/HBS 2023’s story about leaving a successful real estate firm to start his own housing venture, because he wanted to center tenants and communities first, was a powerful reminder of how personal and courageous change-making can be.

It wasn’t just theory being discussed in the room; it was a real, sometimes messy conversation about how future leaders are grappling with the barriers and building better systems anyway. Watching these young leaders reference and build off each other’s work across disciplines made me realize this is exactly why we organized the symposium. To create a platform where ideas could collide, where emerging voices could inspire, and where hope for better housing solutions felt urgent and real.

If you had the ear of city leaders, developers, or policymakers, what message from this event would you want them to hear?

My core message would be simple: talk to each other and talk across sectors, disciplines, and geographies.

We were in touch with to prepare for the symposium. I watched a housing crisis documentary that mentioned his policies so I reached out; he could also speak about rural housing crisis, which is often overlooked. Morrison believes in social housing models where bakers, doctors, mechanics, and teachers live side by side, with market-rate residents helping subsidize affordable units—all without visible distinctions in design or quality. Similarly, the Mayor of Braintree Erin Joyce championed the , emphasizing the need to build financially resilient and sustainable cities by investing in local economies, walkable public spaces, and citizen engagement.

These examples reinforced a key takeaway for me: no city operates in a vacuum. Many cities, no matter their size or location, face similar tensions—balancing affordability, sustainability, community needs, and economic pressures. Solutions aren’t going to come from working in isolation. They come from bold experimentation, learning from successes and failures elsewhere, and adapting ideas to local contexts.

Gathering a range of ideas can feel overwhelming and sometimes contradictory. But tackling a crisis as layered as housing affordability demands a bold, iterative spirit. It requires breaking down silos between policy, design, development, climate resilience, and finance, and committing to a “one step at a time” mindset. Cities that succeed will be the ones that embrace collaboration, experimentation, and humility.

Photos courtesy of Clayton Cardinalli, Bernadette Hicks, Alissa Ji, Hanzhang Lai, Wayne Li , Eli Melendrez,  and Yihan Zhang