2022 Summer Fellows Will Tackle a Range of Housing-Related Projects and Problems

View of Widener Library on Harvard campus.

With support from our Center, 28 graduate students from the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) and the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), and one undergraduate from Harvard College, will spend the summer researching and working on a host of issues related to housing and community development.

The 26 students include two Gramlich Fellows in Community and Economic Development, who will carry out research projects overseen by our Center and NeighborWorks® America. They are:

  • Taylor Jones, a Master in Public Policy (MPP) student at HKS, who will examine the activities of community-based organizations in historically redlined neighborhoods.
  • Arielle Rawlings, a joint Master in Urban Planning (MUP) student at the GSD and MPP student at HKS, who will focus on efforts to stabilize and strengthen “middle neighborhoods”— areas that historically have provided safe and affordable homes for middle- and working-class families, including many households of color.

In addition, ten GSD students will be Center-supported Community Service Fellows. They are:

  • Gabriel Barrett-Jackson, a MUP student, who will work with Strategic Actions for a Just Economy, a non-profit community group based in Los Angeles, on a Fareless Transit Initiative.
  • Emily Hsee, a Master in Architecture (MArch) student at GSD, who will work in the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development in the Predevelopment and Urban Design Unit.
  • Matt Khinda, a MUP student, who will do research for the Citizen's Institute on Rural Design, a non-profit based in Washington, DC.
  • Grace Levin, a MUP student, who will help the South Boston Neighborhood Development Corporation with a project to convert a former convent into affordable rental apartments for older adults.
  • Taylor Mayes, a MUP student, who will help the Center for Urban Pedagogy, a Brooklyn-based nonprofit, on their affordable housing toolkit.
  • Amna Pervaiz, a MUP student, who will work on a variety of affordable housing projects being developed by Homeowners Rehab Inc., a Cambridge-based non-profit.
  • Aaron Smithson, a joint MArch/MUP student, who will work on a variety of projects with the New York Department of City Planning Division of Zoning and Urban Design.
  • Gianina Yumul, a MUP student, who will work on a variety of projects for Preservation of Affordable Housing, a non-profit based in Boston.
  • Abdul-Razak Zachariah, a MUP student, who will help the Association for Neighborhood & Housing Development, a non-profit based in New York City, provide technical assistance around rezoning and land-use decisions for its members.
  • Michael Zajakowski Uhll, a MUP student, who will assist the New York City Housing Authority’s Connected Communities Initiative, which seeks to make design at NYCHA more participatory.
     

Six HKS students will be Center-supported Fellows in Housing and Community Development. They are:

  • Lindsay Apperson, an MPP student, who will work on several initiatives for the Hawaii Governor's Initiative on Homelessness.
  • Patricia Bravo-Morales, an MPP student, who will help NeighborWorks America launch leadership/capacity building programs for non-profit community groups in Puerto Rico.
  • Maddie Cann, an MPP student, who will help the Division of Housing in Colorado’s Department of Local Affairs develop application metrics for an expanded state housing program.
  • Zoe Iacovino, a Master in Public Administration (MPA) and MUP student, who will help the Community Action Agency of Somerville’s efforts to prevent displacement of low-income residents.
  • Girish Pendse, an MPA student, who will help the Chicago Mayor's Office of Economic and Neighborhood Development with the Chicago Recovery Plan and related projects.
  • Gilbert Placeres, an MPP student and a JD student at Harvard Law School, who will help the Boston Mayor's Office of Housing redevelop the West End Branch library to include affordable housing.
     

Finally, ten students, all but one from GSD, will be summer research assistants for the Center. They are:

  • Natalie Boverman and Lilly Saniel-Banrey, both MArch students, who will work on the forthcoming State of Housing Design report.
  • Francisco Montes, a MUP student, who will work on projects related to remodeling existing homes for energy efficiency.
  • Samantha Page, a MUP student, who will work on a project related to housing issues in New England.
  • Madeline Ranalli, a Harvard College student, who will work on a project studying new inequalities in metro Boston’s homebuying market.
  • Chad Reed, a graduating MUP student, who will work on a project related to manufactured housing.
  • Ellie Sheild, a MUP student, who will examine the impact of several state and local efforts to encourage the construction of more Accessory Dwelling Units.
  • Claire Tham, a MUP student, and Jade Wu, a Master in Design Engineering student, who will work on a project related to multigenerational housing.
  • Hanneke van Deursen, a Master in Design Studies student, who will examine how public housing is provided in the Netherlands.

Media Contact: Kerry Donahue, (617) 495-7640, [email protected]