What It Takes to Make a Home, a documentary short film by the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA) considers the questions of how architects might address the intractable urban reality of homelessness, and the meaning of living without a reliable home.
Still from What It Takes to Make a Home, 2019. © CCA
Rather than survey attempts at architectural solutions to homelessness and housing insecurity, the documentary presents the attitudes of two architects whose work directly engages these issues: Michael Maltzan, based in Los Angeles, whose observation above appears in the film?s opening sequence; and Alexander Hagner, based in Vienna, a city with a traditionally strong social housing system currently tested by changes in its population.
The film interweaves a conversation between Hagner and Maltzan with the perspectives of individuals affected by homelessness, who are given space to convey their everyday challenges and larger experiences. ?At its core, this documentary is about really hearing from the people who have experienced?and who are experiencing?homelessness firsthand,? says CCA Director Giovanna Borasi.

Directed by Daniel Schwartz, the documentary begins to unpack the complexities of homelessness taking both familiar and unexpected forms, demanding responses that take into account not only human spatial requirements but also emotional needs.
While pointing to the lack of affordable housing globally, the film asks what role architecture can have in destigmatizing...