Key Note Speakers
We are delighted to announce that we are organising a range of local and international keynote speakers, as well as workshops and presentations from local projects, panel discussion and more.
Eleonora Fassina
Eleonora Fassina is an Italian Architect based in Copenhagen and has been employed at Tegnestuen Vandkunsten since 2015.
Eleonora has participated in several cohousing projects, including a senior and family community in Køge developed in collaboration with think-tank Andel, focusing on strengthening everyday communities (hverdagsfællesskaber) and communities at an urban level.
In 2020, she was part of the design and project planning team for the GrønneEng cohousing development for EcoVillage in Copenhagen. Here, privately owned, rental, and cooperative housing are mixed with a wide variety of shared common areas. She was also involved in the development phase of Balance – a senior cohousing community in the city of Ry, developed for pension fund PensionDenmark in collaboration with think-tank Andel and supported by the philanthropic organization Realdania.
Eleonora's interest in cohousing communities began with the task of developing an idea catalogue for "a new family housing model” that had to be based on the 37 types of families that can be found in Denmark today (Statistics Denmark). Many significant aspects emerged, which she believes should always be the starting point for the development of cohousing communities.
She is also the coordinator for the internal research group on housing communities at Vandkunsten and has been responsible for the first publication on Housing Communities presented by Vandkunsten in 2023 during the UIA International Congress of Architecture in Copenhagen. Eleonora has a keen sense of spatial and aesthetic qualities, which are reflected in all the design phases she participates in. Eleonora holds a Master`s degree from Politecnico di Milano School of Architecture in Italy and has previously worked as a design architect in both London & Berlin.
We look forward to hearing from your amazing expertise Eleanor!
Louise is a Professor at the Institute of Society and Culture at Western Sydney University
Louise's research focuses on the social, ecological and economic sustainability of community-driven housing developments in Australia; on the uptake of housing innovation in practice and policy; on complex adaptive systems theory in urban contexts; and, on the interfaces between sustainability, property rights, institutional design and democracy. Her work is underpinning the emergence of forms of permanently affordable and community-led housing in Australia, such as housing cooperatives and community land trusts, on which she is Australia's leading expert.
Dr Tom Moore
Dr Tom Moore is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Geography and Planning at the University of Liverpool. He has researched community-led housing models in England since 2007, exploring their growth and development through local case studies, project and funding evaluations, and international comparisons. Tom is interested in the potential for community-led housing models to challenge transactional, market-based logics that characterise many housing systems, as well as the opportunities and limitations of models that rely on citizen leadership and participation. In addition to community-led housing, Tom undertakes research a range of issues related to community planning and housing policy and inequality. Tom is Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Housing and Society journal and a member of the European Network for Housing Research and the Asia-Pacific Network for Housing Research.
The Housing Innovation Society
THIS is an advocacy, education & networking body dedicated to supporting innovation in housing development.
Mission.
To support innovation in housing development by addressing issues of equity, affordability and sustainability, to deliver thriving communities and social, environmental and financial wellbeing. THIS aims to support the growth of collective, resident-led solutions for better housing in Aotearoa.