Housing is a human right. This direct message was the opening statement of the Architecture and the Right to Housing panel discussion at the University of Toronto?s John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design. Hosted on March 21 as part of the Faculty?s Winter Program, the discussion brought out a crowd of architects, designers, and students to listen and learn about what the right to housing actually looks like in practice, and the often understated role that architects can play in making it a reality.
The panel was moderated by Karen Kubey, an assistant professor at the Daniels Faculty, and included speakers Leilani Farha, global director of advocacy agency The Shift, and Paul Karakusevic, founding partner of Karakusevic Carson Architects, a UK-based firm specializing in public-housing design. Supported by the Irving Grossman Fund in Affordable Housing, the discussion was part of an ongoing series of round tables that Kubey is hosting across the Americas to continue her work in advancing housing justice. Addressing the audience to kick the discussion off, Kubey said ?I hope that by the time you leave the room tonight, you will have a better understanding of what a right to housing really means, that you feel energized, and you believe, just a little bit more, that another world is possible.? Architecture and the Right to Housing, 1 Spadina, Karen Kubey, John H Daniels Faculty of Architecture Landscape and Design, Daniels Public Program, Daniels Lecture....