New Challenges for Old Problems: Housing Affordability in a Comparative Perspective

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Course Details

The session will explore new ways to address old problems regarding lack of housing. Five International Fellows in MIT’s Special Program for Urban and Regional Studies will discuss how Buenos Aires is trying to integrate “informal areas”, both economically and politically, into the main city; Mexico’s Social Housing Federal Program; the work of Without Borders to retrofit and strengthen old housing;  construction of infrastructure in Bhutan’s low-income settlements; and a proposed zoning tool to enable middle to low income landlords in Mexico City develop mid density housing without having to sell their land to private developers or partner with them if they prefer.  

Learning Outcomes

  • The international planners will learn about how urban innovations emerged in the U.S.— specifically, what roles did governmental agencies, private firms , and community groups play in generating innovative ideas and implementing them.
  • The international planners will share their experience in fostering innovations: which innovations worked despite numerous constraints and why, and conversely, what did not work and why?
  • The ultimate goal is to facilitate cross-country collaborations to foster urban innovations and identify strategies to initiate such collaborations.

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