Elizabeth Bowie Christoforetti directs Supernormal, a design and research practice based in Cambridge, MA. She founded Supernormal to create meaningful and practical change through them intersection of architecture, urbanism, technology, and contemporary culture. The firm designs housing, institutional, and cultural projects for the private and public sectors. Supernormal is an engaged practice that meets the world exactly as it is, and with a glass that is half full. Elizabeth is also Assistant Professor in the Practice of Architecture at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, where she is also a principal investigator within the Laboratory for Design Technologies. Her work in both academia and design practice explores the intersection of social values and scalable systems of design in the transformation of the built environment.

Coby is a co-founder and partner of Backyard, an innovative real estate development firm with offices in Southern California and New York. He leads the acquisitions, asset management, and design efforts for the Company, which works to create more thoughtful infill apartment development in walkable neighborhoods. 

Coby is a leading writer within the worlds of urban planning and real estate development, with a focus on exploring how to create more resilient, walkable, dynamic, and people-oriented communities.  A graduate of the University of Virginia, Coby holds a Bachelor of Science in Urban and Environmental Planning, and a certificate from the McIntire School of Commerce. 

Frances Anderton covers Los Angeles design and architecture in print, broadcast media and public events. She is the author of Common Ground: Multifamily Housing in Los Angeles, and co-author of Awesome and Affordable: Great Housing Now, a multimedia project produced in 2024 by Friends of Residential Treasures: Los Angeles (FORT: LA). She has co-produced short films for the nonprofit housing developers Community Corporation of Santa Monica and Venice Community Housing. Anderton writes a regular newsletter about design and architecture for KCRW public radio station. For many years she hosted the KCRW show DnA: Design and Architecture, and produced the current affairs shows Which Way, LA? and To The Point. She teaches a seminar on urban housing at USC architecture school. Honors include the Esther McCoy Award, from the Architectural Guild of USC architecture school, for her work educating the public about architecture and urbanism.

Gerhard is an architect and urbanist who embraces a paradigm shift towards the walkable, multimodal, equitable, sustainable high-quality urban living of the future. Originally from Vienna (Austria), he emigrated to the US on a Fulbright Scholarship in Sustainable Design and Architecture. He has practiced architecture on four continents, with valuable lessons learned in many cultural environments. Gerhard is currently focused on quality urban design; he is convinced that it is the medium through which one can address many of the shortcomings of our built environment and solve intractable urban problems.Gerhard served as chair of the AIA L.A.’s Urban Design Committee and takes pride in finding new opportunities for each project, for all stakeholders.

Gerhard is a prolific writer and has started several local initiatives and non-profits that attempt to create a better Southern California.

David Pearson, AIA cofounded PALO, an integrated design and development services company, with partner Mikaela Pearson in 2017. He is actively involved in the Urban Land Institute on the Housing Product Council, Circulate San Diego as a policy advisor, and academia where in 2020 he received a Service Award from Woodbury University for his sustained commitment to the degree project and thesis curriculum. He works to shape both local policy and design-thinking concerning housing and the urban environment. A competitive surfer in his youth, his board-glassing days contribute to his sense that performance and artistry intersect. While at Harvard, he received a mini-MBA and studied real estate along with ecology to better navigate rapidly changing development policies amid a changing climate. He balances economic savvy with a deep interest in the history of art and architecture, a love of craft and insatiable curiosity.

Muhammad T. Alameldin serves as the Policy Associate at the Terner Center, where he leverages cutting-edge research to shape housing policy across local, state, and federal levels.

Throughout his career, Muhammad has been instrumental in enacting policy reforms that address systematic racial inequities, expand paid internships, and enhance income distribution strategies. He has also played a pivotal role in streamlining missing middle and affordable housing production, as well as advancing several other housing initiatives. His contributions include numerous policy papers and briefs that analyze the impacts of housing legislation and propose reforms to overcome systemic barriers to housing production.

Currently, Muhammad is an active board member of both the Casita Coalition and the Rockridge Community Planning Council. His expertise and insights have been featured in a variety of publications from The Atlantic to the White House. Muhammad is also a proud alumnus of the University of California, Berkeley

Michael Eliason is a licensed architect and founder of Seattle-based Larch Lab – part architecture and urbanism studio, part 'think and do' tank - focusing on research and policy; decarbonized low-energy buildings; and climate adaptive urbanism. Michael is also an award-winning architect specializing in mass timber, social housing, Baugruppen (urban cohousing), and Passivhaus buildings. His career has been dedicated to advancing innovation and broadening the discourse on sustainable development, non-market housing, and decarbonized construction. He has helped usher legislative efforts on Point Access Blocks across the US, and is a founding board member of Seattle’s Passivhaus Social Housing Developer. Michael is a graduate of Virginia Tech, and became a Certified Passive House Designer in 2010. His professional experience includes work in the US and Germany. Michael is also an author with his forthcoming book for Island Press, Building for People: Designing Livable, Climate-Friendly, Affordable Neighborhoods, set for publication in Fall 2024.

Alan Pullman, AIA, Founding Partner of Studio One Eleven, believes in the resiliency of cities, taking an optimistic approach to making them more inclusive, and sustainable for all. Since founding the Studio in 2000, Pullman has led the design and integration of their architecture and urban design work, including community-driven neighborhood improvements and innovative urban interventions focusing on housing, sustainable mobility and quality of life. In collaboration with a collective of talented and spirited designers, Pullman’s recent projects range from individual architectural and urban design interventions to large scale regional plans and policy research that addresses our current housing challenges.

Pullman is a registered architect in California with over 30 years of experience. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects and the Urban Land Institute, where he serves on the Urban Revitalization Council. In addition, he was a director for the Downtown Long Beach Alliance, where he chaired the Board, the Economic Development Committee, and the Long Beach Economic Partnership Inaugural Board. A native of New York, Pullman was awarded his Bachelor of Architecture degree from Syracuse University and Master of Science in Cities from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Chandra brings 16 years of experience as a leader in people-centered sustainable design. Chandra recently completed a LEED Platinum campus for Meyer Memorial Trust and is currently working with communities on transformative designs for affordable housing, museums, and libraries. She is passionate about creating beautiful spaces that are accessible for everyone and enjoys working closely with clients to create designs that are expressive of their vision and values. Chandra is a member of the Portland Design Commission; a Founder of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) Portland Charitable Foundation; and on the advisory board of Hip Hop Architecture Camp internship program.

Alex is Principal and Studio Director at ISA, an award-winning design and research office based in Philadelphia, which she leads with Founding Principal Brian Phillips and Principal Deb Katz. Her background work in landscape architecture, urban research, and architectural design help inform her current focus on complex new construction and adaptive reuse projects.

At ISA, Alex has designed and managed the construction of thousands of units of housing, creative workspaces and public installations in cities across the country. The firm has been recognized for its innovative approach to low-rise, high density housing inspired by the fabric of its home city of Philadelphia as a model for urban life. ISA’s work seeks to accommodate the needs of existing and future residents while encouraging the development of vibrant streetscapes and social spaces.

Alex holds a B.A. in Architecture with minors in Women’s Studies and Art History from the University of Pennsylvania, and an M.Arch from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design.

Description goesStephen is the executive director of the Center for Building in North America, a research-focused nonprofit organization based in New York. The organization's goal is to improve the quality and affordability of multifamily construction in the United States and Canada, through international comparative research on building codes and standards, and other technical construction policy.

Stephen was the main proponent of E24-24, the International Code Council (ICC) proposal to change America's model International Building Code to allow single-stair apartment buildings taller than the current three-story limit. After some compromise, the ICC's Egress Committee's approved a modification to allow such buildings up to four stories. He is also the author of a 2024 report on the high cost of elevators in the U.S. and Canada. here