Podcasts Culture Community TrailBlazers Ep.1-Kent Watkins & Nan McKay: A Historical Perspective of Housing and Communities

Ep.1-Kent Watkins & Nan McKay: A Historical Perspective of Housing and Communities

Published: Dec. 10, 2019, 9:31 p.m.

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Kent Watkins and Nan McKay reflect on their decades of work in the affordable housing industry and analyze the many challenges on the horizon. They discuss their reasons for collaborating on this historic podcast on housing and communities.

McKay started working in the field in 1963 with various housing authorities before launching her own firm in 1980. Watkins began at the nascent HUD, and has since become a major voice for industry advocacy. He is the founder and chairman of the American Academy of Housing and Communities.

They discuss a forthcoming crisis when it comes to affordable housing \\u2014 the current inventory is aging fast and the issue isn\\u2019t receiving enough attention in public policy discussions. Land is sparse, and many continue to struggle with affordability given heavy amounts of student loan debt. Solutions must come fast, but they\\u2019ll take political will to happen. Listen in to find out what needs to change.

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