News and Events

For more detail, visit AHI's Recent Activities page.

AHI and Ernst & Young Co-Directing Cambridge Workshop

April 30, 2012

AHI's David Smith and Ernst & Young's Gus Freeman are co-directing a workshop to be held at the 2012 Gulf Research Meeting, at the University of Cambridge, UK, from July 11-14. More detail on the workshop can be found on our Recent Activities page.

 

AHI Associate Maysa Sabah participates in Oman summit

April 30, 2012

Maysa Sabah Shocair, AHI's MENA Advisor, participated in the second Affordable Housing Development Summit 2012, held in Muscat, Oman. More detail on the summit can be found on our Recent Activities page.

 

AHI Associate Maysa Sabah quoted by The Middle East Magazinie

April 24, 2012

MENA region Associate Maysa Sabah has been quoted in an article titled "The affordable housing challenge" featured in the April issue of The Middle East Magazine. Among the topics she discussed were the connection between the Arab Spring and the shortage of affordable housing in the MENA region, the factors leading to the current lack of affordable housing, and the difference between building affordable homes and creating affordable housing. Exerpts of the article can be found on our Recent Activities page.

 

AHI's response to the Bipartisan Policy Center

April 10, 2012

AHI Founder David Smith has written an analysis for the Bipartisan Policy Center's Housing Comission after being tapped as one of several guest experts. Participants were asked to respond to the question, "How can housing policy be responsive to today’s urgent needs (e.g., foreclosures, a sluggish housing market, affordability, etc.) and simultaneously address long-term trends (e.g., an aging population, growth of younger households)?"

His article, "Responsiveness Follows from Ecosystemic Robustness," can be found here. The abstract follows:

The collapse of housing prices for subprime-financed owned homes represents a massive loss of value all along that value chain: homeowner; originator; mortgage-holding bank; securitizer; and behind them all, the federal government, which has become the banking system's unwilling backstop. All of these parties may have negative equity, a situation that will freeze them into economic immobility. To get them out of negative equity, everything involved has to be written down: home price, owner's equity, value of debt, value of security. This doesn't automatically mean rewriting principal balances, but it does mean forcing debt compression, either through foreclosure, workout, or otherwise.

AHI contributes remarks to the TOKİ conference book

April 9, 2012

AHI's founder, David Smith, served on the Advisory Board of the Turkey Mass Housing Corporation (TOKİ) conference, which took place in 2011. His concluding remarks at the end of the conference highlighted the progress TOKİ has made on its ambitious goal of completing 500,000 homes in 80 separate provinces around Turkey. His speech also discussed the challenges and opportunities around complex urbanizing cities, which will be the biggest problem humanity will face over the next 25 years. The full text of his remarks, which will be published in the TOKİ conference book, can be found on our Recent Activities page.

 

AHI at Harvard Africa Conference 2012, highlighted in Business Day

March 27, 2012

The presence of AHI's Founder Davis Smith at this year's Harvard Africa Conference was noted in Business Day. It mentioned his panel discussion where he shared his experiences and gave specific examples on practical applications, problems and prospects of affordable housing in sub-Saharan Africa. The article also spoke of his past work for the World Bank, USAID, Rockefeller Foundation, and Gates Foundation, as well as his consulting in the US.

 

High profile for AHI at Oman Affordable Housing Development Summit 2012

January 24, 2012

AHI's Mena Advisor, Maysa Sabah, is one of the high profile speakers at the Affordable Housing Development Summit due to take place in April 2012 in Oman. This event has been scheduled by popular demand following the successful 2011 summit - at which Maysa also spoke - and in the wake of recent news about the affordable housing shortfall in the GCC and increased investment in low-cost housing, particularly in Oman and Bahrain.

 

AHI and Mohammad bin Rashid Housing Est. sign MOU

December 13, 2011

The government entity in charge of social housing in Dubai, the Mohammad bin Rashid Housing Est. (MRHE), entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with AHI to exchange information and expertise, and to discuss cooperation relating to future housing planning and research efforts, as w ell as to strategic and operational planning.

The agreement was signed by MRHE CEO Sami Gargash, and AHI Founder, David Smith, at the MRHE headquarters in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

 

AHI at Riyadh International Urban Development Event

September 19 , 2011

David Smith is invited to the forthcoming Riyadh International Urban Development and Real Estate Investment Event - Cityscape Riyadh to take place on 11 - 13 December, 2011 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). He will participate in two panel discussions:

Highlighting measures for closing the supply gap in the Riyadh residential sector and

Introducing new initiatives in consumer finance to create market growth in affordable housing.

In preparation for this meeting, David was interviewed by Cityscape Magazine for their November issue article Addressing the Affordable Housing Deficit, in which he discusses affordable housing in Saudi Arabia.

More thаn 10,000 visitors are expected at Cityscape Riyadh 2011 which attracts a large number οf real estate professionals аnd investors whο аrе interested in Saudi Arabia’s thriving real estate sector.

David is also slated to meet with housing practitioners in Jeddah (KSA), Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates.

 

Smith to talk at Tulane about slums

September 19 , 2011

AHI Founder David Smith is invited to launch Tulane University's new lecture series, Urban Innovation, that will address common urban problems from a design and policy standpoint. Scott Bernhard, the Director of the Tulane City Center at the School of Architecture, said that the experiences David shares in the kick off talk Turning Slums Into Assets would “offer insight into how to handle similar problems in New Orleans". David's lecture is slated for Richardson Memorial Hall, room 201 on September 19, at 6 p.m. He will also meet with students at a luncheon organized by the Tulane School of Architecture.

 

Berly Cordero accepts postion at AHI

September 1 , 2011

Berly Cordero has accepted a position as a Project Manager at AHI after completing her internship with us. She will be involved with MEEs in Latin America and with the launch of SEWA Housing Finance Company in India.

 

Casius Pealer awarded Estidama certification

August 26 , 2011

AHI Senior Senior Sustainable Building Advisor, Casius Pealer, has been recognized by the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council a Pearl Qualified Professional in the Estidama green building program, the first of its kind that is tailored to the Middle East region. Casius is qualified in both the Pearl Community Rating System (PCRS) and the Pearl Building Rating System (PBRS). The aim of the Pearl Community Rating System (PCRS) is to promote the development of sustainable communities and improve quality of life.

 

Smith to lecture at Harvard

August 9, 2011

On August 19, at 2 pm, David Smith will be teaching a module on Building Futures One Brick at a Time: Provision of Housing Microfinance at Harvard’s FIPED – Financial Institutions for Private Enterprise Development – course at the Kennedy School of Government.

Details on FIPED website.

 

Shelterforce journal features AHI's David Smith and Conrad Egan

July 25, 2011

Shelterforce - the journal of affordable housing and community building published by the National Housing Institute, USA - features two AHI people in its Summer 2011 issue.

Senior Advisor Conrad Egan was interviewed on a life of affordable housing activity , while Founder David Smith's article on repealing means-adjusting for rents in family properties was one of six ‘radical’ ideas for changing affordable housing.

More on AHI's Recent Activities page.

 

Casius Pealer on greening the Middle East

July 11, 2011

While attending the Omani Affordable Housing Development Summit, AHI's Senior Senior Sustainable Building Advisor, Casius Pealer, was interviewed on his perspectives on sustainable building in the GCC by the OER Dossier Construction.

More on the Recent Activities page.

 

AHI to resume popular Exchange Series

July 8, 2011

AHI will restart its Exchange Series to bring together leading academics and practitioners from the global north and global south. Northeastern University will partner AHI to explore formalized university student engagement in urban projects in "Working together: Partnerships for change?" led by Gláucio Gomes of the innovative Atelie de Ideias in Brazil, and Barry Bluestone, Dean of the School of Public Policy & Urban Affairs at Northeastern,

The exchange is free and will take place on July 26, 2011 at 11:45 am at Northeastern University, Frost Lounge, Ell Hall, 346 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 20115. For details see AHI Exchange Series page and a printable PDF.

 

Affordable Green and ideal services framework for GCC

6/19-22/2011

AHI made a strong showing with key speakers at the Affordable Housing Development Summit in Muscat, Oman. The conference was themed "Increasing Private Sector Involvement in Low Cost Housing Programs".

Casius Pealer, AHI's Senior Sustainable Building Advisor, gave a presentation on Affordable Green Building Techniques in Hot and Dry Climates on June 21, 2011, while Maysa Sabah, AHI Associate and MENA advisor, spoke on Highlighting the ideal services framework that should increase transparency and facilitate delivery.

Conference details also appeared in the Gulf News, and other news organs.

 

David Smith to moderate and present at BOP conference

6/15/2011

The organizers of the BOP Housing Finance conference to be held in Miami, Fl, USA, on 28 - 29 June have invited AHI Founder David Smith to moderate, as well as present at, thegathering. Details in the Conference Agenda.

 

AHI invited to talk at Cairo Affordable Housing Seminar

6/13/ 2011

AHI was invited by the International Executive Education Institute (IEEE) at the American University in Cairo, to discuss our experiences with regional practitioners at the Real Estate Academy Forum on Affordable Housing. Details in the forum Agenda and in our Recent Activities section..

 

AHI to lead Indian webinar on affordable housing

June 2011 - Notice: This Webinar, originally to take place on June 10, 2011, has been postponed.

Please check back here soon for details.

AHI will be featuring in a webinar, The next stage in developing high quality affordable housing ecosystems in India – applying best practice from international case studies, that focuses on the key issues in the affordable housing sector in India today.

David Smith, AHI's Founder, will share his experiences in affordable housing worldwide, and how they translate to the Indian arena, specifically:

The webinar is part of the agenda of the 2nd Annual Innovations in Affordable Housing India 2011 conference scheduled for August 24-26, 2011 in Mumbai.

 

Video interview with David Smith on slum clearance, cities, and Istanbul

6/3/2011

David Smith's was interviewed on the streets of Tarlabaşı, in Istanbul, Turkey, on the importance of all income groups are to a city, and on the failure of slum clearance and rehousing the poor in high-rises in Western countries.

The video was edited by Jonathan Lewis and Constanze Letsch, and can be seen on AHI's Recent Activities page.

A larger format version is available at Tarlabaşı Istanbul: Why a city should embrace its slums. An interview with David Smith, or at David Smith in Tarlabasi, Istanbul. On urbanisation & slums on Vimeo.

 

Smith global CRA article referenced in American Banker blogpost

5/5/2011

David Smith's article on the inevitable global uptake of some form of The US Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) was quoted in a blogpost on Exporting CRA by Mark Fogarty in the American Banker. The post particularly highlighted David's targeting of South Africa, the United Kingdom, India, Brazil, and possibly Australia, China and Mexico, as countries "most ready for CRA-esque regulation."

Read full article online, or David's summary here (PDF)

 

Casius Pealer on rebuilding New Orleans

4/29/2011

AHI's Senior Sustainable Building Advisor, Casius Pealer, was interviewed by AIArchitect, the magazine of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), about post-Hurricane Katrina rebuilding in New Orleans. For their feature AIAVoices, he described the challenges of moving historic houses - which would otherwise have been demolished - to create infill housing in New Orleans, an innovative approach that may be of practical use to urban communities around the globe. Read article here.

 

AHI on the relocation of slum-dwellers in Turkey

3/9/2011

While in Turkey for the 2011 Housing Convention, David Smith was interviewed for an article in Tarlabaşı Istanbul about the consequences of relocating slum dwellers into high rise housing. Because poor people depend much more on being connected with the street, he said, moving them into high rises invariably fails .Read it online.

 

Schmidt as discussant in social enterprise forum

3/6/2011

Deidre Schmidt was on the panel discussing Affordable Housing Development on March 6, 4-5 pm, at the 12th Annual Social Enterprise Conference, organized by the students of Harvard's Business School and Kennedy School of Government.The conference was themed Sustaining impact, living change, and topics included public/private cooperation, impact of the financial crisis, and innovations in building materials and design. More

 

AHI presents at TOKI Housing Convention 2011 in Turkey

3/4/2011

AHI's David Smith spoke at the the Housing Convention 2011: Innovative Housing Approach, Strategies, Implementations and Urban Transformation; Urban Transformation Rally for a Natural Disaster Risk Free Turkey, convened by the Turkish Housing Administration (TOKI), which took place in Istanbul on March 3-4.

He was also invited to give the wrap-up speech on behalf of the convention Advisory Committee before TOKI president Erdoğan Bayraktar's closing words. More.

 

Smith article on global CRA

3/1/2011

The US Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) is due to be reinvented because of the changes that have occured globally since its inception, says AHI's David Smith in the March 2011 Community Development Investment Review.

He argues that a form of the CRA is inevitable globally and asks that banks work with government to craft sensible community reinvestment programs. Details in AHI's Recent Activities page.

 

Habitat For Humanity quotes David Smith on affordability and the $300 House

2/17/2011

AHI's Founder David Smith was quoted in connection with the role of government in housing in the February Newsletter of Habitat for Humanity, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada.

"When governments effectively protect private property, citizens invest in housing with their cash, their enterprise, and their sweat. When governments do not, as in Zimbabwe in 2005, capital and citizens flee, causing a country to sink into poverty, violence, and eventual anarchy."

He also spoke on the importance of homes for the poor, affordable housing, and the $300 house. A PDF version of the article is available. More.

 

AHI invited to participate in Turkish Housing Convention around Disaster Management

2/07/2011

On the heels of our Urban Disaster Risk Symposium in Istanbul, AHI has been invited to be on the board of the Housing Convention 2011 convened by the Turkish Housing Administration (TOKI). The Conference is themed “Innovative Housing Approach, Strategies, Implementations and Urban Transformation; Urban Transformation Rally for a Natural Disaster Risk Free Turkey,” and is due to be held in March 2011.

Turkish and global experts At AHI's symposium had strongly endorsed urban renewal as disaster risk mitigation, which requires working with existing communities to strengthen their finances andgradually rebuild fragile and dangerous housing.

 

Montgomery to pursue graduate education

1/31/2011

AHI's Administrative Assistant, Ezekiel Montgomery, has left us to pursue his graduate studies. We shill miss his can-do attitude and attention to detail, and wish him great luck in his future endeavors.

 

AHI's Rosabelli Coelho-Keyssar moves on

12/23/2010

After two years as AHI's Research Director, Rosabelli Coelho-Keyssar has bidden us farewell to move on to other opportunities. All of us at AHI, and others who have worked and interacted with Rosabelli, will miss her ebullient presence and fiery dedication to affordable housing issues around the globe.

She brought to AHI over a decade's passion for, knowledge of, and commitment to improving the lives of poor urban slum dwellers. She understood the challenges of modern cities and the links between poverty and inadequate housing.

Rosabelli came to AHI as a 2008 Harvard Kennedy School of Government graduate, where she was an Edward S. Mason Fellow and the recipient of a Jorge Paulo Lemann Fellowship for Brazilian citizens interested in public service.

Prior to that she served as Secretary of Housing and Urbanism in Petrolina, Pernambuco, her home city of roughly 260,000 inhabitants in one of Brazil's poorest regions where she managed the Program Subsidy for Social Interest Housing (PSH), a Federally and locally funded innovative affordable housing program for very-low -income Brazilians.

Trained as an architect, Rosabelli received a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture and Urbanism from the Federal University of Pernambuco, and a Master’s Degree in Urbanism from the Pontifical University of Campinas, writing her thesis on the political implications of federal housing policies in northeastern Brazil.

We wish her all the best as she follows new paths in her life and career.

 

AHI leads international symposium that finds local community participation essential for disaster mitigation

12/20/2010

Global development experts from the AHI Urban Disaster Risk Symposium in Istanbul today strongly endorsed community-led urban improvement as the best way to strengthen the resilience of developing world megacities in the face of catastrophes like hurricanes and earthquakes. More.

 

Impact Investment Summit invites Deidre Schmidt to speak

12/3/2010

Deidre Schmidt, AHI's Executive Director, was invited to speak at the International Impact Investing Summit, held in New York, NY, USA. Impact investing refers to sustainable investments, which generate a financial return while achieving a social and environmental impact. The goal of the summit was to provide a senior-level forum for impact investing stakeholders to gather and review the industry’s activity to date, and to dentify and address the challenges facing the market. More.

 

AHI at Ashoka's Global Summit of Housing Entrepreneurs

12/1/2010

David Smith & Deidre Schmidt presented AHI's ideas for making Housing for All a reality at the Ashoka/Hilti Global Summit for Housing Entrepreneurs, an event organized under Ashoka's Full Economic Citizenship Program that took place in Barcelona, Spain from November 30 to December 1, 2010. The summit aimed to establish a common agenda for action that would advance the housing sector significantly in the months and years to come. More.

 

David Smith at Greenbuild Conference and Expo

11/20/2010

AHI's Founder, David Smith, was on the panel presenting at the Opening Session of the USGBC Affordable Housing Summit, a part of Greenbuild, the world's largest conference and expo dedicated to green building, held in Chicago on November 17-19, 2010. The panel will discuss burgeoning international trends and innovations that the U.S. housing sector can learn from. More.

 

Deidre Schmidt at Harvard on the government role in affordable Housing

11/11/2010

AHI Executive Director, Deidre Schmidt spoke to a class at the Harvard Graduate School of Design/ Department of Urban Planning and Design on Government's role in affordable housing, employing selected non-USA examples in the context of rapid urbanization. She commented on the common mechanisms used by govermnment, the phenomenon of slums, the challenges of informality, jurisdictional/governance issues, and other considerations. More.

 

Rosabelli Coelho-Keyssar represents AHI at SEEP annual meeting

11/1/2010

AHI's Research Director, Rosabelli Coelho-Keyssar, will represent us at The Small Enterprise Education and Promotion (SEEP) Network's Annual Conference in Washington, DC, USA. The gathering is the premier event for microenterprise development practitioners to connect on the challenges and opportunities they face. This meeting represents a significant milestone for The SEEP Network and will mark the culmination of 25 years of connecting microenterprise practitioners. More.

 

Deidre Schmidt in discussion on Medellin Social Urbanism

10/8/2010

AHI's Executive Director, Deidre Schmidt discussed the Social Urbanism of Medellin, Colombia - regarded as a world model - with Alejandro Echeverri, Architect and former director of Medellin’s urban projects, and others. The event was part of the Loeb Fellowship's Urban Futures: Opportunities and Challenges for Transforming the Urban Landscape. More.

 

AHI's David Smith in Harvard Business Review

10/1/2010

The Harvard Business Review (HBR) features David Smith's blogpost The $300 House: The financing Challenge which builds on a previous post by Christian Sarkar and the world-renowned Vijay Govindarajan on creating a scalable housing solution for the world's poor. David envisions the small house as a slum-upgrading, informal-settlement model where the occupants and community are actively involved in its creation.

 

Middle Eastern Affordable Housing Development Awards winners announced

9/27/2010

AHI's Deidre Schmidt, and others on the judging panel, have announced the winners of the The Middle East Affordable Housing Development Awards. The award ceremony was on 27 September 2010 Bahrain, as part of the Affordable Housing Development Summit Middle East, held in Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain. More.

 

AHI at Affordable Housing Design Leadership Institute

7/23/2010

Deidre Schmidt, AHI's Executive Director, attended the Affordable Housing Design Leadership Institute (AHDLI), a two-and-a-half-day conference, on July 23, 2010, to help create solutions that will impact real affordable housing projects nationwide. More.

 

Conrad Egan joins AHI

7/19/2010

Conrad Egan, most recently President and CEO of the National Housing Conference, the nation's oldest housing policy advocacy organization has accepted an invitation to join The Affordable Housing Institute as Senior Advisor.

"With globalized capital and global urbanization, affordable housing finance is more important than ever," Egan said. "It's critical that policymakers around the world understand and learn from each other's experiments – both successes and failures – because even though every place is unique, sound principles are universal.  I'm delighted to be able to contribute in new venues, applying lessons we have often learned the hard way." More.

 

Deidre Schmidt to judge Middle Eastern Affordable Housing Development Awards

5/12/2010

AHI's presence on the panel judging this year's The Middle East Affordable Housing Development Awards was noted in the Saudi Gazette. Deidre Schmidt, AHI's Executive Director, was invited to be on the panel of regional and international industry experts judging the entries. The awards ceremony on 27 September 2010, will honor companies and individuals who have set standards for excellence and demonstrated the ability to set industry benchmarks through designing and delivering innovative projects.

These awards will run in parallel with the Affordable Housing Development Summit Middle East, to be held during 26 - 29 September 2010 at the Gulf Hotel Bahrain, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain.

 

AHI bids farewell to Analyst Yousuf Marvi

4/28/2010

Yousuf Marvi, Analyst at AHI, has decided to pursue his interest in technology and research.  We shall miss the dedication and humor he brought to AHI, and thank him for his hard work. We wish him the very best for the future.

 

AHI's "David Smith's Blog" featured by CIty States Group

4/8/2010

The content of David Smith's blogpost Pictures at an enumeration (here), on citizen-led enumeration in informal communities, was featured prominently in a Citywire article, "Slum Dweller’s Self-Census: Painful Comparison To U.S", that compared census issues in South Africa and the USA. Citywire is a part of of the Citystates Group, a team focused first and foremost on metropolitan regions and how they position themselves to cope with the demanding economic, environmental, social challenges of the 21st century.

 

AHI presents at WUF5 in Rio

3/24/2010

AHI's David Smith was an invited discussant and speaker in the Thematic Open Debate focusing on Affordable and Adequate Housing, which was linked to Dialogue 3 of the World Urban Forum 5 held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 22 to 26 March 2010 under the theme "Right to the City: bridging the urban divide". David's presentation introduced Mission Entrepreneurial Entities (MEEs): Essential Partners in Affordable Housing Provision (pdf).

 

On scaling up slum upgrading in Udaipur

1/31/2010

David Smith, AHI's Founder, was invited to the International Workshop on scaling up Upgrading and Affordable Housing: From National Policies, to State Programs, and City-Wide Slum-Free Interventions organized by the Government of India's Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, with support of Cities Alliance, World Bank, and World Bank Institute, on January 29-30, 2010, in Udaipur, India. In his presentation (pdf), he discussed resolving facts on the ground with prevailing law with respect to informal settlements.

 

AHI at launch of South Asia Housing Finance Forum in New Delhi

1/29/2010

AHI's David Smith was invited to present on Formalizing Informal Slums ( pdf) as well explain AHI's concept of Home Asset Loan Finance (pdf here) , at the Conference on Affordable Housing and Housing Finance & Formal Launch of e-Platform “South Asia Housing Finance Forum” (SAHF) Site, Convened by the National Housing Bank & International Finance Corporation during January 27-28, 2010 in New Delhi. All presentations are now available on the SAHF website.

 

AHI's Deidre Schmidt: "Slummin' It"

1/6/2010

Executive Director of AHI, Deidre Schmidt, presented Slummin' It, a discussion about the phenomenon of slums and informal housing in the global South, some US parallels, and AHI's work in these contexts. The event was hosted by UrbanWorks Architecture of Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. More.

 

AHI Publishes landmark study on Mission Entrepreneurial Entities

1/6/2010

AHI has published its key report, Mission Entrepreneurial Entities (MEEs): Essential Actors in Affordable Housing Delivery. A year in the making, this study – co-authored by Ray Christman of Atlanta, Gaynor Asquith of Manchester UK, and David Smith of Boston – calls out these entities as a distinctive type of non-governmental organization, highlights MEEs' importance as change-makers, and points the way for reordering resource priorities. More.

 

David Smith receives NH&RA Vision Award

11/2/09

The National Housing & Rehabilitation Association presented David Smith with its annual Vision Award for lifetime achievement in affordable housing in Boston , Massachusetts. More here.

 

AHI launches landmark study of Mission Entrepreneurial Entities

10/8/09

AHI, Housing Partnership Network (HPN), and National Housing Conference (NHC) presented AHI's landmark new study, Mission Entrepreneurial Entities: Essential Actors in Affordable Housing Delivery, which examines the characteristics of MEEs, their role and importance in housing delivery, their principles of success, and their relevance to the Global South. More here.

 

AHI at roundtable in 2nd Asia-Pacific Housing Forum

9/7/09

David Smith of AHI was invited to speak on Slum Redevelopment as Urban Poverty Housing Solution at the key Thought Leaders Roundtable of the 2nd Asia-Pacific Housing Forum, which offically opened on September 7, 2009 at Makati City, the Philippines. More here.

 

David Smith in BBC World Debate "Housing the Future"

8/2/09

On August 1 and 2, BBC World News broadcast a fifty-minute debate, Housing the Future in which AHI's David Smith was an active participant.  More here.

 

AHI and Ashoka in Colombia for stakeholder discussions

7/13/09

In partnership with the Ashoka Foundation, which has a long history of supporting social entrepreneurs throughout the world, AHI’s David Smith and Deidre Schmidt traveled to Bogota on July 7-11 to explore the challenge of financing home improvements in Colombia.  More here.

 

Report on Affordable Housing in Turkey published

6/22/09

The AHI study commissioned by the Turkish non-governmental organization GYODER has just been published. Affordable Housing in Turkey: Country Assessment and Recommendations Report, may be obtained from GYODER at  no-cost.   More here.

 

AHI to work with SEWA in Ahmedabad

5/18/09

AHI's Executive Director Deidre Schmidt traveled to Ahmedabad, India, to work with Mahila Housing Trust (MHT), an affiliate of Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) in the creation of a business plan for SEWA Housing Finance.  More here.

 

David Smith speaks at UN-Habitat Wilton Park Conference

5/18/09

AHI's David Smith was invited to an intense workshop on Financing affordable housing for low income groups: innovative funding for urban housing, at Wilton Park in Sussex, UK. More here.

 

AHI inaugurates new Exchange Series

3/20/09

On March 20, 2009, AHI hosted the first in its new series of exchanges between academics and practitioners. The Exchange, held at its headquarters in Boston, partnered Joel Bolnick of Slum/Shack Dwellers international, and Tom Bledsoe of Housing Partnership Network, who presented Leading from the PAck: Peer-Group Networks as Change Agents. More here.

 

AHI on Panel at HBS India Conference

3/15/09

AHI's David Smith was invited to participate at the Harvard Business School India Conference 2009 panel on Real Estate and Infrastructure that brought together industry leaders to discuss its far reaching impact in India. The HBS India Conference is one of the largest student-run conferences in the US and has a strong legacy of creating a platform to allow policymakers, business professionals, and those involved in academia to meaningfully debate and discuss how India can fulfill her global potential (Details here).

 

David Smith at Housing Cities Symposium

3/13/09

David Smith was invited to participate in the Housing Cities Symposium , an interdisciplinary, student-led effort developed by graduate students in urban planning, public health, real estate, law, public policy, and business, at Harvard, MIT and the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies. Events on March 12-13 2009 reflected this multi-disciplinary theme by covering a range of housing subjects and approaching challenges and solutions from a wide spectrum of viewpoints (pdf  here). More on David's panel "Preservation of Aging Affordable Housing" here.

 

AHI blog one of "Top 10 Urbanist Blogs"

2/25/09

The Austin Contrarian blog by Chris Bradford, which discusses economics, zoning and land issues, has rated David Smith's Affordable Housing Institute USA blog as one of the "Top 10 urbanist blogs" ( list here):

- "... Don't let the stuffy title throw you.  This quirky blog covers the ecology of India's slums one day and the "ultimate future city" the next, along with knowledgeable posts about the obstacles to affordable housing in American cities."...

 

AHI moves to new quarters in Boston

2/2/09

AHI has moved just down the road to a new address at 38 Chauncy Street, Boston,MA 02111, USA. We also have a new telephone number, 617-391-5980. For directions, see Contacts.

 

AHI teaches affordable Housing at MIT

1/14/09

David Smith & Deidre Schmidt developed and taught an intensive three-day course on affordable housing for MIT graduate students and enrolled professionals. Participants were exposed to key principles of affordable housing finance, negotiation points and negotiation dynamics, public-private partnership, and the tensions between economics and policy outcomes. The course included a full-day role-playing brainstorming session of US affordable housing in practice. Details here.

 

"Century of the City" book launched

12/3/08

The book "Century of the Cities: No Time to Lose" by Neal Pierce and Curt Johnson, recording the Rockefeller Foundation's historic Global Urban Summit in Bellagio, Italy, in 2007, to which David Smith was a significant contributor, was launched in Washington DC. Details here.

 

New Research Director joins AHI team

11/3/08

We welcomed Rosabelli Coelho-Keyssar as our Research Director, a new position for AHI. Details here.

 

AHI at WUF IV, Nanjing, China

11/3/08

AHI's Executive Director, Deidre Schmidt participated in the Fourth session of the World Urban Forum, held on 03 - 06 November 2008, in Nanjing, China.

 

AHI Gets new Executive Director

10/1/08

Deidre Schmidt has accepted the new position of AHI's Executive Director. Details here.

 

David Smith presents at 27th IUHF World Congress, South Africa

10/1/2008

David Smith, AHI's founder, gave a presentation on "The global pile-up in slow motion: Risk, repricing and housing" as part of the fifth plenary session on The Collapse of the Housing Bubble at the 27th IUHF World Congress in South Africa. He was also interviewed by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). Details here.

 

David Smith's blogpost on Paulson's plan featured in Slate Magazine

9/30/2008

Mickey Kause of Slate Magazine's Kausfiles says that David Smith "explains Paulson's plan better than Paulson" in the2 part AHI USA blogpost "Bailout or Bonanza". Article available here.

 

David Smith teaches course on "Mortgages for the Poor", Turin, Italy

7/31/2008

Contracted by the Development Innovations Group (DIG) to participate in the Boulder Microfinance Training Program (MFT 2008) for professionals held in Turin, Italy, from July 31 to August 1, 2008, David Smith developed and presented modules on "Mortgages for the Poor" and on "Financing Slum Improvement: The Case of Sao Paolo, Brazil". Details here.

 

AHI active at the Microfinance for WS&H Practitioners' Roundtable in London

6/2008

AHI's David Smith was invited to the Microfinance Practitioners' Roundtable convened by the IRC International Water & Sanitation Centre on June 12-13, 2008 in London. The workshop explored the sustainable scaling up of microfinance in the water and sanitation sector. Details here.

 

David Smith presents AHI's research report on Turkish Affordable Housing Finance

6/2008

On June 5 , David Smith was invited to present AHI's Assessment of Housing In Turkey at the Eighth Turkish Real Estate Summit in Istanbul. The study was commissioned by the non-governmental organization GYODER. Details here. Report summary in English here, in Turkish here.

 

AHI receives $1 million grant over 2 years from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to research slum improvement

5/2008

On May 27, AHI announced the receipt of project support funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to promote research and education on the socioeconomics of shelter in urbanizing communities outside the United States. The grant will fund AHI’s innovative research approach to improving informal urbanizing communities through housing as catalyst, and non-governmental enterprises as the critical change agents. Details here.

 

AHI releases research report on metafinance of group-level improvements such as water and sanitation

1/2008

In October, 2007, on behalf of Development Innovations Group (DIG), David Smith visited India to interview two non-governmental sponsors (NGOs), the National Slum Dwellers Federation & Mahila Housing SEWA Trust, that are pioneering in the finance and development of group-level infrastructure. DIG commissioned the study as part of DIG’s Housing Finance for the Poor Initiative with the Gates Foundation. Details here. Metafinance Report here.

 

David Smith speaks at Harvard University Model-UN

12/2007

On December 8, David Smith spoke by invitation to Harvard University's Model-UN UNDP working group of 125 students on "The Challenge of Slums: Urbanization, Markets, Governments". Organizer Sara Cheche, A.B. Economics, Harvard College '09, said that after the presentation, "Debate has recommenced and the effect of your presentation on the quality of discussion is enormous!".

 

AHI will help implement grant to Slum/Shack Dwellers International

11/2007

David Smith and AHI will act as technical advisor to South Africa-based non-profit Slum/Shack Dwellers International (SDI) in the design and implementation of their International Urban Poor Fund (IUPF). SDI is a wordwide network of federations of informal savings groups formed by urban slum or shack dwellers. Facilitated by a 3 year, $10 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the IUPF will be used to directly support grassroots groups under the SDI umbrella to improve not only their housing, water and sanitation, but also their capacity to negotiate with governments to secure land rights and leverage other funds for development, thereby raise living standards in urban slums throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America. See article here or here.

 

David Smith at launch of Urban Summit, Innovations for an Urban World

07/2007

AHI founder David Smith was invited by the Rockefeller Foundation to a meeting of leaders from the private and public sectors to explore opportunities to foster healthy and sustainable cities, especially in the global south. The participants helped set the agenda for a September workshop that will bring together ministerial leaders from the finance, health, transportation, environment and housing sectors. Announcement.

 

Launch of AHI-designed affordable rental housing project in Dublin

6/2007
The RAS Long-term Leasing Project, designed by AHI to provide quality affordable rental housing in the Greater Dublin area, Ireland, was launched on June 12th, 2007. The program hopes to deliver at least 1000 market quality units in the Greater Dublin Area by 2009. Details and Announcement.

 

David Smith addresses conference in Istanbul

4/2007
David Smith was invited to address the Seventh Turkish Real Estate Summit in Istanbul, where he spoke on the impact of the new mortgage law and the crucial issue of promoting housing affordability; details here.

 

David Smith speaks at 11 Downing St.

10/2006
In London, David Smith spoke at 11 Downing Street; full details here.

 

David Smith's analysis of urban slums in the Harvard International Review

6/2006
David Smith’s article “Housing the World’s Poor” appears in the latest issue of the Harvard International Review.  The article addresses the growing problem of urban slums, tracking examples from around the world.  Slums are a reflection not of market failure, but of societal failure, and the article details what governments can and should be doing about them.

 

AHI Hosts Jarrod Gitsham, Hugh Stretton Winner

9/2005
The South Australian Housing Trust has awarded the Hugh Stretton Award to Jarrod Gitsham, Project Officer in the Asset Strategy Unit. The award encourages the development of staff and generates information or experience of value to the development of the Trust and/or community based housing and public housing in South Australia. Jarrod will use the award to examine who is given an opportunity to achieve affordable home ownership in the USA. He will study programs such as the SoftSecond Loan in Massachusetts, Section 8 Housing Choice Home Ownership, and Low Income Housing Tax Credits. He will then compare these programs with schemes in South Australia. Details here.

 

David Smith Wins Lange Award from NAHRO

8/2005
David has been named the 2005 Lange Award recipient by the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO), a leading housing and community development advocate for the provision of adequate and affordable housing and strong, viable communities for all Americans--particularly those with low and moderate incomes. The Lange Award (background available here) is given annually "to recognize a person in the housing and community development field who has made an outstanding contribution to international understanding and exchange of international experience." The award was be presented at NAHRO's upcoming National Conference and Exhibition in Chicago on October 9-11, 2005, where David gave a brief address on important trends in US affordable rental housing today.

 

Ecosystems-Thinking in IUHF Newsletter

3/2005
David Smith's article in the Nov 2004 newsletter of the International Union for Housing Finance is now available online (see pages 9-11).

 

George Bull on UK's Budget '05

3/2005
Accountant George Bull looks ahead to Gordon Brown's ninth budget. He predicts gentle tinkering, with major changes delayed until after a general election. BBC article here.

 

HART Presentation at National Housing Federation Conference

7/2004
On 20 July 2004, Andrea Titterington and David Smith delivered a presentation at the National Housing Federation's 2004 national conference on development, regeneration, and maintenance.  Entitled "New funding mechanisms for the future," and aimed at directors and senior managers, it highlighted:

The session played to a standing-room-only audience that asked many insightful and probing followup questions about both PIFs and HART. View slides from the presentation (PDF download).

 

UK: Joint stakeholder spending review strongly endorses HART Credit

4/2004

In April, the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), the Local Government Association (LGA), and the National Housing Federation (NHF), who have formed an alliance to lobby for increased resources for housing, released their Joint Spending Review submission to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM). Noting that HM Government have proposed creating a REIT-like vehicle, the Property Investment Fund (PIF), they go on to comment (in Section 8.6):

We therefore recommend that they [PIF's] should be geared to promoting new supply in the sector, rather than to purchase of existing properties.... However, the key role that housing associations can play will not be fully realised unless Government take steps to create affordability by closing the cost-value gap either by grant subsidy or through fiscal intervention in the form of tax credits. Such credits were advocated in the Barker report and the Federation has previously endorsed, and continues to support, the specific introduction of the Housing Regeneration Tax (HART) credit.
The full report (Adobe Acrobat, 2 MB) available here.

 

HART makes Affordable Housing Finance

2/2004
In February, 2004, Affordable Housing Finance, the US's leading monthly publication focusing on affordable housing, featured HART in an article, "UK looks at establishing housing credit," that among other things quoted David A. Smith, AHI's founder, that "HART combines some of the best elements of the U.S. low-income housing, historic and proposed homeownership tax credits….  In some ways, HART improves on the LIHTC.  It's much less specific in statute and calls for a faster delivery of the credits than in the United States."  Smith is one of HART's designers, along with Dan Anderson, senior vice president in the Community Development Banking Group at Bank of America, Jacqueline Rogers (former Maryland Secretary of DHCD), Andrea Titterington (former CEO of Maritime Housing, Liverpool), and George Bull (partner at accountancy Baker Tilly).
This article originally appeared in Affordable Housing Finance magazine.  For more information, contact Alexander & Edwards Publishing, Inc., at (800) 989-7255 or visit www.housingfinance.com.

 

AHI gains non-profit status

9/2003
The Affordable Housing Institute has now been approved as a Section 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Donations to AHI are now tax deductible to the full extent of the law.

 

ROOF magazine profiles HART initiative

9/2003
In an article in ROOF (a bi-monthly magazine covering all aspects of housing policy), AHI Founder David Smith outlines how the proposed Housing and Regeneration Tax Credit (HART) will boost affordable housing supply and deliver value for money for the government. Article available here (PDF Download)


HART Credit Initiative launch Website

3/2003
Sponsored by Maritime Housing Association Ltd. and AHI, the HART Credit Website aims to be a primary source of information and collaboration among stakeholders in the housing regeneration process in the United Kingdom.

 

AHI in South Africa

1/2003
David Smith, head of the Affordable Housing Institute in Boston USA, addressed the FinMark Forum on 27 January on the subject of " Innovative Funding Options for Affordable Housing: the US experience", organized by the South African FinMark trust. More information may be found in their January 2003 Newsletter.

 

US-style tax break plan to boost UK regeneration

10/2002

Article originally appeared in the United Kingdom's Housing Today .
This article highlights four major proposals presented at the Urban Summit:

 

UK Symposium highlighted in Estates Review

April 2002

Article available in the United Kingdom's Estates Review Journal April-May 2002 issue.
"Liverpool recently played host to a symposium of highly qualified and experienced experts from the UK and US to examine whether the American experience of affordable housing tax credits offers useful insights to explore the potential for devising new financial tools that could significantly enhance the way that housing and regeneration projects are funded in the UK."

 

The Low Income Housing Tax Credit Effectiveness and Efficiency: A presentation of the issues

09/2001

Report presented to the US Millennial Housing Commission.
Available here and here (MS Word format)
By most measures the most successful federal multifamily affordable housing production program of the last 30 years, the Low Income Housing Tax Credit ("LIHTC" or the "Credit"):

Proposed recommendations available here and here.

 

Mark-to-Market: A Fundamental Shift in Affordable Housing Policy

1999

Article in Housing Policy Debate, 1999, Vol 10, Issue 1, pp 143-182. Available in PDF format.
In October 1997, Congress enacted the Multifamily Assisted Housing Reform and Affordability Act (MAHRA), commonly referred to as the ''mark-to-market'' legislation. The most significant housing legislation in a decade, MAHRA seeks to cut Section 8 subsidy costs on about 4,000 properties, bringing rents into line with local markets. MAHRA provides a broad framework for resetting rents and resizing mortgages and answers many fundamental policy questions. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD's) evolving program rules will determine how the mark-to-market legislation will actually work, who will participate, and what will happen to the properties and their residents.
This article describes the legislation's origins, major features, and properties affected and reviews the key policy issues. To illustrate the dynamics, three distinct implementation options are presented as thought experiments. The article also explores potential roles for nonprofit entities and concludes by reviewing HUD's recently issued regulations.