About AHR

The Affordable Housing Roundtable (AHR) is a volunteer project established by the American Planning Association International Division (APA ID) and the MIT Special Program for Urban and Regional Studies (SPURS), which host the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship program, in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP). 

Mission

Foster meaningful conversations on affordable housing to deepen understanding and identify effective solutions.

Purpose

• Provide a forum for people to share their knowledge, experiences, and perspectives on housing and related issues. The forum itself entails webinars, in-person meetings, interviews, and a blog. 

• Serve as a central hub for accessing information, including both the content discussed at the table and resources from other channels.

• Create opportunities for capacity building, technical assistance, and mentoring, and invite members and partners to contribute.

History 

This project stems from the ongoing partnership between APA ID and MIT SPURS, aiming to facilitate connections between MIT SPURS/Humphrey fellows and professionals in the field of urban planning in the United States.

The inception of this project can be traced back to the session titled "New Challenges for Old Problems: Housing Affordability in a Comparative Perspective" during the 2023 World Town Planning Day held on November 8, 2023. In this session, five international fellows from MIT's SPURS engaged in discussions on housing issues in Argentina, Bhutan, and Mexico. The insights and discussions from this event laid the foundation for the Affordable Housing Roundtable project.