Community plays a crucial role in shaping how we live and if we thrive. As our world
continues to urbanize, densify, and intensify, community is more critical than ever.
Drawn from more than three decades’ experience designing affordable multifamily
housing, these elegant, economical, and human-centric strategies support a high quality
of living for residents and neighbors alike. The "9 Ways to Build Community with Urban
Housing" range from the large-scale “Reweave the Urban Fabric”—which focuses on
maximizing adjacencies and reconnecting street grids—to the intimate “Get
Personal”—which builds in opportunities for self-expression. These flexible, accessible,
and complementary design strategies dignify and uplift residents, improve wellness and
stability, and support people to forge key bonds. Illustrated by examples from dozens of
built projects and long-time collaborations with developers, this talk shares a wide range
of successful applications of these community-oriented principles.

Robin Karson’s talk will make a persuasive case for Warren Manning’s historical and national importance. She will provide insights into Manning’s background and work and will speak to the broad strokes of both his 1919 City Plan of Birmingham and the design of Mountain Brook in the 1920s, with lots of interesting visuals.