Housing Brooklyn NOW: Design, Advocacy, and Community Voices

As New York City faces long-term underinvestment in public housing and growing affordability challenges, this session brings together architects, community organizations, and housing advocates to explore how design, policy, and community voice intersect. Drawing from current projects and approaches, the discussion will examine how collaboration can translate resident priorities into more equitable housing outcomes. Through an interactive component, participants will engage in hands-on, community-centered activities that surface shared values and collective ideas for the future of public housing.

Brooklyn NOW! 2026, presented at BPL’s Library for Arts & Culture, celebrates the design forces actively shaping our borough today. Opening in April 2026, the exhibition highlights how architects, builders, and visionaries are reimagining Brooklyn’s streets, homes, and civic spaces. The exhibition will be accompanied by five in-person public programs, including a gallery opening that invites visitors to engage directly with the ideas and people behind the work.