Meet Fast Forward Presenter >> Kathleen Hogan

What is your Big Idea for Philadelphia?

Building a Self-Sustaining Community for the Houseless via Adaptive Reuse

I simply ask: Why isn’t there a sustainable housing community that has a symbiotic relationship with adjacent neighbors throughout the city?  Philadelphia has the potential to take care of its homeless population in a novel way by buying existing empty buildings and create thriving city blocks via adaptive reuse. 

 

Adaptive reuse is the smart solution for rehabilitating neighborhoods in the city. It reduces construction waste by reusing construction material on site, thereby reducing CO2 emissions.  We should utilize passive housing principles in the building envelope to promote a healthy environment for residents.  

 

These communities will give the homeless a permanent address so that they can get jobs.  The facilities should be rent regulated to promote financial security for the residents.  Funding is imperative for the success of these community hubs. A tax rebate for rehabilitating the homeless in existing infrastructure should be the key.  

 

Besides a place of residence, the community hub should have rehabilitation spaces for drug addiction. It should also provide functioning workshops that teach the trades to real life applications so that it may create new learning opportunities and healthy lifestyles.  It should have functioning green spaces to promote biodiversity and allow urban farming in the city.

Instagram: @24farvardin
LinkedIn: kathleenhogan88
Email: kathleen.hogan88(at)gmail.com

Kathleen Hogan is a LEED accredited designer working for Martin Architectural Group in Philadelphia.  She has over six years of professional experience working on myriads of project types such as multi-family, residential, education, and senior living.  She obtained her Bachelor of Architecture from Jefferson University (2011) and M.F.A. from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (2014).  Kathleen has a passion for architectural design as well as the visual arts and loves to find ways to interweave both practices in her work.  She is pursuing her goal of becoming a licensed architect to further expand her outreach of giving back to the community through thoughtful design and artmaking.