State of the Nation’s Housing: Residential Trends and Emerging Concerns
AIAU25-SON-01
LU
Course expires on: 11/11/2026
Description
Demographic shifts, migration across the U.S., housing affordability, climate change, immigration patterns: These are the big trends potentially upending the way we think about the places where we live. Architects have insights into how we translate these issues into how we need to build our homes in the coming decades. The session will include a review of issues such as adapting homes to be resilient during natural disasters, supporting aging-in-place, making homes more affordable, and navigating the shifting demand patterns from migration. Housing is a leading economic indicator for the broader construction industry. Bring your questions to this informal session and leave with real-time answers that help you prepare for the future.
Learning Objectives
Learn how population trends will affect the future landscape of housing across the U.S.
Gain insight into the aging population’s changing needs for our built environments.
Identify opportunities for architects to be part of the solution for addressing the housing crisis.
Learn how to make housing stock more sustainable and resilient.
Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA is a Senior Research Fellow at Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies, and is the Project Director of the Remodeling Futures Program. This research effort, which began in 1995, is the first comprehensive analysis of U.S. remodeling activity ever undertaken by the Joint Center. Its goal is to develop an improved understanding of the dynamics of the U.S. repair and renovation industry so that businesses can better take advantage of the opportunities that this market offers. Baker is also the Chief Economist for the American Institute of Architects in Washington, D.C. In this capacity he analyzes business and construction trends for the U.S. economy, and examines their impact on AIA members and the architectural profession.
Prior to joining the Joint Center, Baker was vice-president and director of the economics department at Reed Business Information where he was responsible for industry forecasting. During his ten years at Reed he developed the Top U.S. Construction Market Report, and served as editor of the Reed Business Information's Construction Market Forecast newsletter.
Baker received his master's degree in urban planning from Harvard University, and holds a Ph.D. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the same field.