Dana Bourland is Vice President for the Environment at the JPB Foundation. Before becoming VP of the environment program at JPB, Dana was Vice President of Green Initiatives for Enterprise Community Partners, a nonprofit dedicated to “making well-designed homes affordable”. She developed and oversaw all aspects of Enterprise’s Green Communities program including the creation of the Green Communities Criteria and Enterprise’s Multifamily Retrofit Program.
American cities are currently faced with a two-pronged challenge: dealing with our climate crisis, and managing the lack of housing that is affordable and healthy. Our housing is not only unhealthy for the...
American cities are currently faced with a two-pronged challenge: dealing with our climate crisis, and managing the lack of housing that is affordable and healthy. Our housing is not only unhealthy for the planet, green affordable housing expert Dana Bourland believes, but is also putting the physical and financial health of residents at risk, with full time minimum wage workers unable to afford a two-bedroom apartment in any US county. She argues that we need to move away from a so-called gray housing model to a green model, and she joins us in this livestreamed presentation to introduce a primer on what that would look like.
In conversation with Grist’s Clayton Aldern, Bourland endeavors to demonstrate that we do not have to choose between protecting our planet and providing affordable housing to all. Supported by her book Gray to Green Communities: A Call to Action on the Housing and Climate Crisis, she draws from her experience leading the Green Communities Program with a national development organization. With examples from green living communities across the country, she lays out the problems that green housing solves, the challenges in the approach, and recommendations for the future of green affordable housing. Don’t miss this exhilarating discussion that will empower and inspire anyone interested in the future of housing and our planet.
Books are available for purchase from local partner Third Place Books.
US cities are faced with compounding climate and housing crises. How can communities meet their housing needs while mitigating and adapting to the impacts of climate change?
By creating green housing affordable for all, cities will...
US cities are faced with compounding climate and housing crises. How can communities meet their housing needs while mitigating and adapting to the impacts of climate change?
By creating green housing affordable for all, cities will contribute to the health and well-being of residents, their communities, and the planet. Considering both systemic questions and action-oriented strategies, the speakers will discuss green building processes and principles that can be incorporated into housing design, construction, rehabilitation, and operation.
Dana Bourland, author of Gray to Green Communities: A Call to Action on the Housing and Climate Crises and Kimberly Vermeer, co-author with Walker Wells of Blueprint for Greening Affordable Housing, will illustrate that delivering on the human right to housing and combatting the climate crisis go hand-in-hand. Each will discuss the intersection between equity, housing, and sustainability. After the authors present key ideas from their books, the moderator, Dawn Phillips, will lead a discussion between the authors and the audience.
Panel:
• Dana Bourland, Vice President for the Environment at the JPB Foundation
• Kim Vermeer, LEED AP Homes, President of Urban Habitat Initiatives Inc.
Moderated by Dawn Phillips (He/Him) – Executive Director of Right To The City Alliance
Communities are facing the twin challenges of creating affordable housing while also addressing climate issues. How can we move from a “gray” housing model to a “green” one that addresses the health and well-being of residents, communities and...
Communities are facing the twin challenges of creating affordable housing while also addressing climate issues. How can we move from a “gray” housing model to a “green” one that addresses the health and well-being of residents, communities and the world at large?
Join the Maryland Department of Planning and the Smart Growth Network at 1 p.m. Eastern, Friday, March 26, as Dana Bourland shares her experience creating the first standard for green affordable housing that is designed to deliver measurable health, economic and environmental benefits.
Participants of the live webinar are eligible for 1.5 AICP CM credits.