ARC3721H S
Instructors: Karen Kubey
Meeting Section: LEC0101
Wednesday 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Housing’s primary position in our lives, economies and the built environment makes it a natural site of intervention in the complex fight against systemic injustices. How might housing projects, and the design processes behind them, be interventions toward social justice? In the face of persistent social inequities, how might architects and urban designers make a meaningful contribution?

“Housing and Social Justice in North America” is a student-driven seminar analyzing current literature on affordable housing design and social, economic, health, and racial equity, alongside exemplary architectural case studies. We will draw from multidisciplinary sources, including architectural theory, oral history, and public health research.

Seminar sessions will center on student oral, written, and graphic presentations, with robust synchronous and asynchronous discussion. Students will develop arguments on architecture and housing justice plus new case studies, for expert and lay audiences. The ideal student for this course is curious, interested in developing their research capacity, and wanting to make connections between housing design and the most pressing political questions of our time. What is at stake is not only an urgent contribution to the field of architecture, but also critical material in the global fight for housing justice.