Nathan Bossie

In January 2024, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) made a significant commitment to accelerate the adoption of innovative practices and policies to increase affordable housing. As part of this commitment, Gensler, HR&A Advisors and Brookings were awarded funding to analyze office-to-residential conversion activities across six U.S. cities, test the financial feasibility of these conversions, study policy and incentives, and build an online community guide to allow local policymakers to estimate the impact of potential conversion policies on their community. Join representatives from the analytic team and HUD to discuss the ongoing analysis, share preliminary findings, explore how Gensler and its partners are advising the government on the topic, and – with panelists from cities advancing their own conversion strategies -- debate what must be done to unlock additional housing in the United States. The session will outline the team's approach to the analysis; present the recommended changes to city, state, and federal policy; and provide an update on how one city is advancing its own program through existing policy tools.