The Boston Society for Architecture (BSA/AIA), AIA New York (AIANY), and AIA Los Angeles (AIA|LA) hosted a dynamic series of webinars focused on financing climate-forward, affordable housing projects. These webinars aimed to educate stakeholders on how to stack financing, making green, decarbonized, and affordable housing a feasible reality for the future. Attendees gained insights into cutting-edge strategies, case studies, and best practices for navigating the complexities of green financing, particularly in the context of urban development and affordable housing.

Coming out of the Penciling Out Series, BSA, AIANY, and AIALA are proud to announce the release of our final report, Penciling Out: Outcomes & Ideas. This report captures the key takeaways from our series—offering practical tools, policy frameworks, case studies, financing strategies, and a call to action for advocacy at the local and national level. Whether you're a developer, a policymaker, an investor, or a community advocate, there’s something in here for you!

Schedule & Details

Click on the sessions below to view event recordings!

1. Webinar Kick-Off & Networking; An Overview of the Boston, New York, and Los Angeles Landscape
Wednesday, April 30, 2025 | 12:00 - 2:00pm EDT / 9:00 - 11:00am PDT | Virtual

2. Navigating the Boston/Massachusetts Climate & Affordable Housing Context
Wednesday, May 7, 2025 | 6:00 - 7:30pm EDT / 3:00 - 4:30pm PDT | Hybrid @ BSA Space

3. Navigating the New York Climate & Affordable Housing Context
Tuesday, May 13, 2025 | 12:00 - 1:30pm EDT / 9:00 - 11:30am PDT | Virtual

4. Navigating the LA/California Climate & Affordable Housing Context
Wednesday, May 21, 2025 | 12:00 - 1:30pm EDT / 9:00 - 11:30am PDT | Virtual

5. Happy Hour & Call to Action Discussion during AIA Conference in Boston
Thursday, June 5, 2025 | 5:00 - 6:00pm EDT | In-Person @ BSA Space, Fort Point Room

About

In recent years industry professionals have shared that it’s increasingly challenging to make financially viable energy efficient, innovative, and affordable housing projects in regions like Massachusetts, New York, and California where stringent climate policies and high construction costs can make designing and building housing more difficult. This upcoming webinar series aims to address these concerns by shedding light on the financing opportunities currently available across these regions. The goal of this series is to dispel the misconception that creating energy-efficient, high-quality, and well-designed affordable housing struggles to pencil out, and to provide practical insights on how these projects can be successfully brought to life within today’s complex regulatory and financial landscape.

Key Themes and Topics

1. Green Financing vs. Conventional Financing: Discover how green financing stands up against traditional financing methods, and learn how to successfully implement sustainable building practices. We’ll examine how environmental factors play a crucial role in financial feasibility.

2. Case Studies and Opportunities for Collaboration: Case studies will be presented as part of the series to offer insights into opportunities for creating affordable and climate forward housing in Massachusetts, New York, and California. You’ll gain insight into how to navigate existing incentive systems such as Massachusetts’ Mass Save, New York’s NYSERDA, and California’s California Energy Smart Homes.

3. Navigating the Noise: With stakeholders facing mounting concerns about financing and struggling to stay up to date on available incentives for creating affordable and sustainable housing, it’s more important than ever to provide such information. We’ll explore how initiatives like Local Law 97, BERDO 2.0, and Existing Buildings Energy and Water Efficiency (EBEWE) are helping to drive deep emissions cuts and how you can take advantage of these opportunities.

4. Decarbonization Studies & Feasibility Phases: Understand how feasibility studies and decarbonization strategies can be achieved quickly and cost-effectively. Learn how such studies can help building owners make informed decisions about carbon savings and energy efficiency without overwhelming budgets.

5. Green Design and Financing: Explore how green design and green financing intersect. We’ll provide insights on navigating the complex tax credit landscapes and tax-neutralization strategies to align financial success with environmental impact.

6. East Coast & West Coast: Discussions will include the unique challenges faced by architects and developers in cities like Boston, New York, and Los Angeles including variations in code requirements and the different approaches to green financing. We’ll also look at cross-coast collaboration, especially in addressing the complexities of decarbonization.