The RCLCO Foundation 50th Anniversary Paper Prize Winner: Maximizing Public Sector Air Rights as an Affordable Housing Solution

The RCLCO Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, is pleased to announce the winning entry for its first whitepaper competition. In celebration of RCLCO’s 50th anniversary year, the Paper Prize was a thought leadership competition that drew entries from all segments of the housing innovation community, with a goal of making a meaningful difference in the policy and practice of affordable housing provision. The RCLCO Foundation 50th Anniversary Paper Prize aimed to honor scholarly work that drives innovation in approach to financing or incentivizing the creation of affordable housing in America.

The paper that demonstrated the most innovative thinking regarding strategies that support the creation of affordable housing in America, as deemed by the Foundation’s judges (comprised of both internal and external thought leaders), is Maximizing Public Sector Air Rights as an Affordable Housing Solution, by C. Kat Grimsley, PhD.

Download and read the paper here.

Dr. Grimsley is the Director of the Masters in Real Estate Development program at George Mason University. She is responsible for the administration of all aspects of the program, including curriculum management, community building, and strategic development. In 2017 she was appointed to the Real Estate Market Advisory Group of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN-ECE), which includes the United States of America. Dr. Grimsley also became the first woman to be appointed to the NAIOP Research Foundation’s Distinguished Fellows Program. She completed her doctorate at the University of Cambridge, where her research addressed global tenure and title insecurity by uniting policy with existing international best practices and technological capacity in the context of global administrative solutions.

About The RCLCO Foundation

The RCLCO Foundation was formed in 2006 as a means to positively influence the availability and development of affordable housing. Funding to the RCLCO Foundation is provided by RCLCO, which annually contributes a share of its profits, along with contributions and grants provided by RCLCO team members, alumni, clients, and other organizations who are interested in advancing the cause of affordable housing. The Foundation is committed to making a meaningful difference in the practice and policy of affordable housing, by encouraging and facilitating the development of balanced communities.

The RCLCO Foundation is incredibly grateful for the time and attention donated by members of the community throughout the submission and review process. The judges for the 50th Anniversary Paper Prize included:

• Adam Ducker, RCLCO Foundation Board Member and Jury Chair
• Gadi Kaufmann, RCLCO Foundation Chair
• Karen Kaufmann, Luskin Center at UCLA, Academic
• Stockton Williams, Executive Director of the Terwilliger Center at ULI, Policy Expert and RCLCO Client
• Andrew Jakabovics, VP, Policy Development, Enterprise Community Partners, Inc., Policy Expert and RCLCO Alum
• Alan Goldstein, Director at AHC, Practitioner and RCLCO Client

Disclaimer: This edition of the The Advisory highlights the winner of The RCLCO Foundation’s paper prize. The perspectives and opinions are that of the author’s, which are independent of The RCLCO Foundation and RCLCO’s research and opinions.