The 2021 MassHousing Neighborhood Symposium will bring together professionals from housing, public health, government and other fields for a series of in-depth conversations on topics of particular interest for Massachusetts' 26 Gateway Cities. They will take place virtually over four Thursdays in September:

Healthy & Affordable Homes - September 9
Underused Lots for Affordable Homes - September 16
Local & Regional Partnerships for Affordable Homes - September 23
Home Repairs, Rehabs & Remodels - September 30

Each session will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.

Speakers & Presenters

Wandy Pascoal, Housing Innovation Design Fellow, City of Boston/Boston Society for Architecture

Wandy Pascoal (she/ela) is interested in the ways housing design and policy come together, as she seeks to exist in the liminal space between the two. This inquiry led to her current role as the Housing Innovation Design Fellow, a position co-hosted by the City of Boston's Housing Innovation Lab and the Boston Society for Architecture. In this work she strives to center the many voices of Boston's residents and their complex experiences in order to drive the design and implementation of the city's current and future housing models.

Wandy holds a BFA in Architecture from UMass Amherst and a Master of Architecture from MassArt, where she focused on the urban and housing design of a self-sustaining eco-village in her home country of Angola. Previously, she worked as an architectural designer at Stull & Lee, Inc focused on affordable housing projects in the New England area. She has also worked with the Madison Park Development Corporation, where she first gained a deeper understanding of the complexities of local services and housing creation. Wandy is currently a resident of Brighton, Mass. and an active member of BosNOMA. She also identifies as an artist with a focus on music, watercolor painting and photography.

James Brooks, Director of Housing Development and Healthy Homes, City of Worcester

James Brooks serves as the City of Worcester's Director of Housing Development and Healthy Homes, managing the city's housing stock development and rehabilitation efforts. He is responsible for managing $23 million in State and Federal Grants through HUD and other agencies for the development, rehabilitation and remediation of residential health, life safety and indoor environmental conditions of the city's homes. Jim has overseen development, rehabilitation and preservation projects for thousands of units in Worcester.