Affordable Housing Solutions in a Time of Social Inequity and Climate Change

The Fall 2021 Architecture Lecture Series presents:

Marianne Cusato

Adjunct Associate Professor of the Practice,
University of Notre Dame School of Architecture and Partner,
Cypress Community Development Corp

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This presentation explores the intersection of housing segregation, climate change, and the escalation our nation’s affordable housing crisis. The history and ongoing impact of housing segregation continue to perpetuate racial inequities today, while extreme weather and rising sea levels threaten housing in cities nationwide. Understanding our history, which is often forgotten, but always hiding in plain sight, can change the lens with which we view the world. At the same time, recognizing our present situation, which is often hard to see while living in the moment, can prepare us for the future. This talk employs a new awareness of our past and present to demystify many current misconceptions of affordable housing, as well as to propose solutions for building a better future that is both equitable and resilient. 

BIOGRAPHY

Marianne Cusato is renowned for her work on innovative housing solutions for disaster recovery and workforce housing. She is a member of the faculty at the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture and is the partner in charge of design and development at Cypress Community Development Corp, a not for profit housing corporation dedicated to creating resilient and energy efficient homes that are also dignified and attainable. Cypress CDC’s built work includes the development 450 Katrina Cottages in Louisiana through FEMA funding, as well as the homes in the Florida Keys following Hurricane Irma and in Sonoma County, California following the 2017 wildfires. They are currently working in Panama City, FL, rebuilding from Hurricane Michael in 2018 and on the Island of Barbuda rebuilding from Hurricane Irma, in partnership with the Prince’s Foundation.