What Comes Next? The Future of Housing, Neighborhoods & Urban Living

What Comes Next? The Future of Housing, Neighborhoods & Urban Living is an online panel of the 30th RPA Assembly.

A lifelong resident of Portland, Oregon, Congressman Earl Blumenauer is one of Oregon’s innovative leaders. Raised in SE Portland, Earl attended Centennial High School. While still a college student at Lewis and Clark College, he led the campaign in Oregon to lower the voting age. He was a key player just two years later as one of the youngest legislators in Oregon’s history in a landmark session for school funding, ethics reform and Oregon’s groundbreaking land use laws.

As a Multnomah County Commissioner and member of the Portland City Council, Earl’s innovative accomplishments in transportation with light rail, bicycles and the street car, planning and environmental programs and public participation helped Portland earn an international reputation as one of America’s most livable cities.

Elected to the US House of Representatives in 1996, Earl has been a tireless advocate for the 3rd Congressional District. He’s recognized for his creative, innovative policies and accomplishments, and also his political leadership in Oregon and nationwide. He tackles controversial issues and finds ways to break ideological and partisan gridlock with a unique approach to problem solving that brings people together.

He is currently a member of the Ways and Means Committee, Chairman of the subcommittee on Trade and a member of the subcommittee on Health. These assignments give Earl a unique platform to promote critical issues like Medicare for All and the Green New Deal. Earl has been a champion for rebuilding and renewing our nation’s infrastructure, economic security for families, protection of public lands, stopping gun violence, ending the prohibition of marijuana, and criminal justice reform.

Moses Gates is RPA’s Vice President for Housing and Neighborhood Planning, leading the organization’s planning, research and advocacy efforts in affordable housing, economic development, and urban design. He also leads RPA’s efforts to build international partnerships.

Since joining RPA in 2016, Moses has led RPA’s recommendations on affordability, economic development, and livable neighborhoods for the Fourth Regional Plan and authored or overseen several reports on housing policy and neighborhood planning. Prior to joining RPA, Moses was director of planning and community development for the Association for Neighborhood Housing Development, where he led the organization’s housing development policy and planning work and initiated New York City’s first Community Development Fellowship program.

Moses also has worked for New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development, as a nonprofit affordable housing developer, and as a licensed New York City tour guide. He is currently a visiting assistant professor at the Pratt Institute and serves on the board of directors for Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City. He has a master’s of urban planning from Hunter College, a bachelor’s in history from the University of Wisconsin, and is the author of the memoir​“Hidden Cities” (Tarcher/Perigee 2013).

Appointed by Governor Ned Lamont, Commissioner Seila Mosquera-Bruno brings a wealth of knowledge to the Department of Housing. Prior to her appointment, Seila was the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Mutual Housing Association of South Central Connecticut, Inc., dba NeighborWorks® New Horizons. NWNH is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to providing affordable housing opportunities to help build strong communities and revitalize neighborhoods. Since joining NWNH in 1994, Seila served in many different capacities and became the Executive Director in 2003. Under her leadership, the organization expanded operations beyond New Haven County to New London and Fairfield Counties, managed 38 employees and $100 million in Assets.

Seila has a Master’s degree in Urban Studies from Southern Connecticut State University, a Bachelor in Business Administration from Charter Oak College, and completed the Achieving Excellency in Community Development 18-month fellowship program at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Seila has vast and extensive experience in advocating for affordable housing on a state and national level and has participated in many organizations to help strengthen communities. Seila was a Board Member of the National NeighborWorks Association and Co-chair of the NWA National Real Estate Development Advisory Council.

Seila lives in Milford with her husband and youngest daughter.

Shawn L. Rickenbacker is a trained architect, urbanist and urban data researcher. He is currently the Director of the J. Max Bond Center for Urban Futures where he directs the Center’s sponsored research and is an Associate Professor of Architecture at the CCNY Spitzer School of Architecture. His research and work at the Bond Center directly confronts the complex intersection of spatial equity and the social and economic impacts of place-based policies, programs and design through the lens of urban data, forensic and design research. He’s served as Senior Research Fellow at the Phyllis M. Taylor Institute for Social Innovation, where he researched ​‘Artificial Intelligence and The Future of Social Urbanism’, The Favrot Chair in Architecture at Tulane University, Gensler Distinguished Professor at Cornell University and Director of the Motorola Sponsored Future Interactions Lab at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Design. His work and research have been published in The New York Times, NY Daily News and Global Architecture and exhibited at Studio Museum of Harlem and most recently at Temple University. As a frequent lecturer and presenter he’s appeared at University of Southern California, Temple University, Enterprise Community Partners Design Affordable Housing Leadership Institute, and New Museum - New Inc. Shawn holds a MArch with a Certificate in American Urbansim from the University of Virginia where he was the Dupont Scholar and a BArch from Syracuse University.

Barika Williams is ANHD’s Executive Director. She was previously with ANHD as Deputy Director until 2018. During her ANHD tenure she led impactful projects and initiatives – including ANHD’s mandatory inclusionary housing, equitable economic development, and data and research work. She has an unparalleled breadth and depth of policy expertise on affordable housing and economic development, as well as deep knowledge on our organization, members, and the communities we serve. Perhaps most important, she’s passionate about policies that advance equity, inclusion, and opportunity in all neighborhoods, especially for low-income communities and communities of color.

Prior to her appointment, Barika served as the Assistant Secretary for Housing for the State of New York under Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. There, she managed the Governor’s major housing priorities consisting of various agencies with a combined workforce of over 1,000 employees and an annual budget of more than $2.5 billion dollars. She supported the Governor’s programs and initiatives to increase NY State housing affordability including the $20 billion housing plan and expanding tenant protections statewide.

In previous roles, Barika has published on several topics at the Urban Institute, served as Project Manager for a leading DC real estate firm and on a community-based comprehensive education reform initiative. Barika holds a master’s degree from MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning and a bachelor’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis.