Prior to delivering the Joint Center for Housing Studies annual John T. Dunlop Lecture on September 30, J. Ronald Terwilliger sat down for pizza and discussion with some 30 students of the GSD and the Harvard Kennedy School at a lunch sponsored by the Harvard Urban Planning Organization. “The lunch was a great opportunity to meet a leader in housing in an informal setting, and the turnout from both GSD and HKS students exceeded our estimates,” said Lydia Scott (MUP ’14 and co-president of HUPO).
Terwilliger traced his career in real estate from the Naval Academy to Harvard Business School to the chairmanship of Trammel Crow Residential, the country’s largest builder of multifamily housing. He also discussed his work with Habitat for Humanity International, where he served as chairman of the board and, in 2009, gave a $100 million gift.
Previewing the lecture he would give later that evening, titled “Housing America’s Increasingly Diverse Population,” Terwilliger answered questions about innovation at the state and local level in affordable housing, his prescriptions for the Low Income Housing Tax Credit and the mortgage interest tax deduction, and hallmark examples of mixed-income housing developments. He also spoke about secure, affordable housing as the springboard to greater prosperity. “Think about the American dream,” Terwilliger asked. “Is that a house? Or is it the ability to lift ourselves up?
Learn more on the Joint Center for Housing Studies website.