Big Idea: Housing
In this session we wrestle with the invisible rules that govern housing — how they shape where we live, our ideas of success, our daily rhythms, and sense of community.
Guest Speaker: Ryan Kilpatrick
Ryan Kilpatrick (AICP, EDFP) has been involved in the creation of more than 6,500 housing units across Michigan. With experience across government, philanthropy, and private development, Ryan understands how the system is supposed to work and where it breaks down. Ryan is the Founding Director of Housing Next, and the CEO of Flywheel — a firm dedicated to helping communities across Michigan to confront the rules, assumptions, and tradeoffs shaping where we can live and who gets left behind. Flywheel’s work focuses on the systems, seen and unseen, that shape where and how we live, helping communities rethink what’s possible and why it often feels out of reach.
Cafe: Switchback
The outdoor recreation industry is overly complex and has historically served affluent white males as a target audience. Public land and the recreation opportunities it provides must be accessible to all people. Switchback exists to welcome all people (regardless of their experience, race, gender, sexual orientation, identity, or income level) in making outdoor recreation, and the benefits it provides, a valuable component of their lives.
Learn More
Visual Guide: Why Housing Breaks People’s Brains
Podcast: The Truth About NIMBYs, The Political Psychology of Opposition to New Housing
Book: On The Housing Crisis by Jerusalem Demises
Three Actions
- Get involved with your local Neighborhood Association
- Learn about GR’s Community Master Plan: Bridge to Our Future
- Join a Strongtowns GR meetup