Spitzer School’s Laura Wainer, alumni and student publish research on immigrant-centered housing

The Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture at The City College of New York has published “PATHWAYS TO HOME: Design Solutions for Immigrant-Centered Housing,” which addresses issues of immigration and housing justice in New York City by focusing on the polyglot Jackson Heights section of Queens.

Written by Assistant Professor of Architecture and Urbanism Laura Sara Wainer, recent graduates Valeska Abarca and Lorraine Colbert, and fifth-year student Juan Jimenez Giraldo, Pathways to Home is a collection of student projects, research, international case studies, and reflections. It the result of a two-year collaboration between the Spitzer School and Make The Road New York, known as MRNY, an immigrant advocacy organization dedicated to advancing social justice.

Throughout the two years of observation and study, the CCNY students and faculty, alongside MRNY staff and members, analyzed the neighborhood's living conditions and the housing challenges faced by immigrants, considered personal stories of MRNY members and students, and studied international models and local approaches in detail. These efforts resulted in a series of architectural, urban, and housing projects that propose innovative proposals for alternative models of affordability, densification, collective action, and production.

The core of the approach taken by the authors is the conviction that design and architecture can generate innovative solutions to address financial, social, and organizational needs and problems, as expressed through three principles: correlating housing justice with spatial justice; promoting an intellectual shift in knowledge by architecture schools; and understanding that outcomes of design thinking possess powerful political narratives.

“PATHWAYS TO HOME serves as both an advocacy tool and a call to action, reimagining how an inclusive city might look through the lens of innovative design solutions—ranging from densification, cooperative and co-living models, to intergenerational living, financing strategies, and equitable land access,” said Wainer. “The publication argues that housing justice must be intrinsically tied to spatial justice. It asserts that the outcomes of design thinking can carry powerful political narratives, contributing to broader conversations about social equity. In this regard, we hope to inspire significant political debates within our city, with Spitzer School of Architecture continuing to serve its constituents through a socially engaged practice.”

Wainer studies the intersection between housing policy, design politics, and urban governance, with a focus on housing inequality among migrants in New York City.