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Join us as we celebrate the release of Canopy Architecture + Design’s new publication, Between the Leaves: On Housing, exploring the major challenges in creating affordable housing and what we can do to support initiatives in our communities.

Price
$15 public
$7 CAC Members
FREE for students
Meet
Zoom Virtual Event (details to come)

Canopy will host a diverse panel discussion on the state of affordable housing development in Illinois. Panelists will explore the layers of financing, advocacy and design strategies that drive the provision of affordable housing. Hear from developer Edgar Flagg of Mercy Housing, architect Jaime Torres Carmona of Canopy, UIUC Professor of Architecture Christina Bollo, Thomas Applegate of the North River Commission, and Lindsey Haines of Full Circle Communities. Canopy Architecture + Design is currently featured in CAC’s exhibition Housing for a Changing Nation, sponsored by a generous gift of AARP Illinois and the AARP Foundation.

Presenter: Jaime Torres Carmona, Founder and Principal of Canopy Architecture + Design, LLC

Jaime Torres CarmonaBaker and Ryerson Fellow Jaime Torres Carmona is an award-winning architecture and urban design practitioner based in Chicago. Recognized for his approach and sensitivity towards the end user, social impact and the environment, Jaime explores the role of design as a vehicle for positive change. Through projects ranging in scale from community and health centers to housing, schools, mixed-use buildings, and urban design, Jaime is drawn towards the urban and civic realm and its impact on the human experience. Engaging in this approach, Jaime’s firm has produced some of Chicago’s most recognized neighborhood-based architecture, including the 1630 W. Cullerton LEED Home in Pilsen, the Enlace Headquarters in Little Village, and the OSO Apartments in Albany Park.

Presenter: Thomas Applegate, Executive Director, North River Commission

Thomas ApplegateThomas Applegate is the Executive Director of the North River Commission, a non-profit and community development corporation for the northwest side of Chicago, from the Chicago River to Cicero and Addison to Devon. Its mission is to improve the quality of life in their community by developing affordable housing, quality education, arts and cultural endeavors, open spaces and thriving neighborhood businesses.

Presenter: Christina Bollo, Assistant Professor, School of Architecture, UIUC

Christina BolloChristina Bollo teaches design and applied theory courses focused on health and wellbeing in the built environment. Her research investigates the role of housing policy in shaping housing design and the role of housing design in the health and wellbeing of residents. Christina’s recent research, “Reducing Apartment Vacancy Duration: Lessons from Affordable Housing” was published by The Journal of Property Management while her “Decoupling Climate-Policy Objectives and Mechanisms to Reduce Fragmentation” was published in Buildings Research and Information.

Presenter: Edgar Flagg, Regional Director of Real Estate Development, Mercy Housing Lakefront

Edgar FlaggEdgar Flagg is an experienced housing developer with a 20+-year career encompassing real estate finance, development and construction management. He currently works for Mercy Housing Lakefront as the Regional Director of Real Estate Development focused in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. He has worked both for and with private and non-profit real estate companies to develop affordable and mixed-income housing nationally. He holds a B.A. in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and a Masters of Business Administration, with a concentration in Real Estate, from Roosevelt University’s Walter E. Heller College of Business.

Presenter: Lindsey Haines, Senior Vice President of Real Estate Development, Full Circle Communities

Lindsey HainesLindsey is responsible for crafting and implementing the organization’s development and growth strategies. She oversees all department staff in their work with service providers and community partners to generate new development opportunities. She completed her Masters of Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago and holds a Bachelors degree from Illinois Wesleyan University.