Over the last year, the curatorial team of the 2019 Chicago Architecture Biennial traveled to different parts of the world to encounter some of the most pressing issues facing cities today. From Chicago they went to São Paulo, Johannesburg, and Vancouver to meet with architects, activists, and others at the forefront of shaping and transforming how we live and work in cities. This research resulted in further exploration of the four main Biennial themes, which address rights, memory, land, and commoning practices.

A recurring topic across this research was questions around housing. Stemming from Adrian Blackwell’s installation Anarchitectural Library at the Chicago Cultural Center, Temporary Department of Anarchitecture: On Housing is a curated series of programs exploring the politics of housing. As a space for (un)learning, these discussions focus on the topics on housing policy, community organizing, and advocacy to reexamine our collective rights to housing in Chicago and beyond.

Hosts include: Biennial curator Sepake Angiama, Biennial contributor Adrian Blackwell, National Public Housing Museum Executive Director Lisa Lee, and labor union organizer, housing activist, and educator Vincent Tao.

Featured programs:

"Untold Histories and Possible: Futures of Public Housing in Chicago"
Thursday, October 17, 6–7:30 PM
A conversation with National Public Housing Museum Executive Director, Lisa Lee and writer, Ben Austen

"Reading the “Housing Crisis”: Toward a Tenants’ Inquiry of Architecture"
Friday, October 18, 11 AM–1 PM
Hosted by Vincent Tao, labor union organizer, housing activist, and educator

"The Architecture of a “Housing Crisis: Organizing Lessons from Vancouver"
Friday, October 18, 6–7:30 PM
Hosted by Vincent Tao, labor union organizer, housing activist, and educator