Joint Center for Housing Studies


The Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University advances understanding of housing issues and informs policy. Through its research, education, and public outreach programs, the center helps leaders in government, business, and the civic sectors make decisions that effectively address the needs of cities and communities. Through graduate and executive courses, as well as fellowships and internship opportunities, the Joint Center also trains and inspires the next generation of housing leaders.
The Center was formed in 1959 as the Harvard–MIT Joint Center for Urban Studies to address intellectual and policy issues confronting a nation experiencing widespread demographic, economic and social change. Its research was based on the premise that the resolution of these issues called for imaginative interdisciplinary approaches to the study of urban problems and issues, and required cooperation among universities, government and industry.
Splitting from MIT in 1989, and affiliated with Harvard's Graduate School of Design and Kennedy School of Government, the Center consolidated the focus on housing that had emerged during the 1970s, and changed its name from "Urban Studies" to "Housing Studies."
In 1969, Robert C. Wood became director, replacing Daniel P. Moynihan. Nicolas Retsinas became the director in 1998. The current managing director is Christopher Herbert.