Housing the Future: A Disruptive Futures Dialogue

The only cities worth building, indeed the only futures worth dreaming of, are those that include all of us, no matter who we are or how we make homes for ourselves.
–OluTimehin Adegbeye

Like DNA to our bodies, housing is the building block of thriving communities. It is the critical link connecting our culture, health, education, economic capacity, history, and belonging. Like many cities around the world, Santa Fe is facing a major housing crisis. The lack of affordable housing, coupled with concerns around displacement, has many residents wondering about the sustainability of our city.

In partnership with New Mexico Inter-Faith Housing, the Santa Fe Community Foundation, and the Santa Fe Art Institute, Creative Santa Fe will host ‘Housing the Future’ – a public dialogue event to examine current issues in housing, highlight affordable housing initiatives led by local organizations, and explore bold, disruptive ideas for a future where everyone has access to housing.

What does science fiction have to do with housing?

“Are we brave enough to imagine beyond the boundaries of ‘the real’ and then do the hard work of sculpting reality from our dreams?” This question is posed by the creators of Octavia’s Brood, a published anthology and working group of visionary leaders who help communities create pathways to social justice through the powerful tool of science fiction. We will bring Gabriel Teodros of Octavia’s Brood and Liz Ogbu of ‘Studio O’ to Santa Fe to help “uncover the truths buried in the fantastical – and to inject a healthy dose of the fantastical into our search for truth.”

Featured Guest Speakers:

Gabriel Teodros is a musician and writer from South Seattle. In 2015, Teodros made his speculative fiction debut with a story published in Octavia’s Brood: Science Fiction Stories from Social Justice Movements, and in 2016 he graduated from the Clarion West Writers Workshop for Speculative Fiction. His writing has also been published by The Feminist Wire, Okayafrica, and the forthcoming anthology Sunspot Jungle: The Ever Expanding Universe of Fantasy and Science Fiction.

Liz Ogbu is designer, urbanist, and social innovator. Liz is an expert on social and spatial innovation in challenged urban environments globally. From designing shelters for immigrant day laborers in the U.S. to a water and health social enterprise for low-income Kenyans, Liz has a long history of working with communities in need to leverage the power of design to catalyze sustained social impact. Her work blends human-centered design research methodologies, architecture and equitable development principles, cross-disciplinary design thinking frameworks, and social and spatial justice agendas.

Bridging the present and the future, local guest speakers Zane Fischer, Alicia Inez Guzmán, Joseph Kunkel, and Santa Fe City Councilor Renee Villarreal will examine current opportunities and challenges, and highlight initiatives led by local advocates and community organizations to address our housing crisis.

This event will be held on June 28th, 2018 from 5:30-8:00pm at the Santa Fe Art Institute Main Gallery (1600 St. Michaels Dr., Santa Fe, NM 87505). Doors open at 5:00 pm.

No registration required for this free event. Seats will be available on a first-come-first-serve basis. Food and drinks will be provided.

Spanish translation will be available/traducción en español estará disponible.

In partnership with: Santa Fe Art Institute, Santa Fe Community Foundation, and New Mexico Inter-Faith Housing.