Future Friday: Cities as Opportunities for Affordable Living

Gain valuable insights into how cities can become more affordable places to live. This program will focus on innovative policies in housing, transportation, and urban planning that promote affordability and opportunity. Explore strategies such as zoning reform and community investment that help cities address the growing affordability challenge while preserving economic vitality. Hosted by James Darius Ball, director of Future Cities, this one-hour event will offer actionable takeaways for urban leaders and stakeholders working to create more affordable cities across America. 

Dose of Optimism  

Will Johnston, Executive Director of MicroLife Institute 

Will Johnston is the Executive Director of the MicroLife Institute and a thought leader and innovator in the micro living world. Over the past six years, his organization has enabled policy change and brought acceptance of micro structures in the Southeast through events, projects and advocacy. His philosophy is allowing people to think outside the box by putting them in one. 

Before founding the MicroLife Institute, Johnston was Manager for Community and Customer Engagement at The Atlanta Journal Constitution. Over his tenure he expanded his talent in event marketing and production as well as built his network in Atlanta and worked with several Non-Profits fundraising and producing events. Johnston is an avid traveler and loves staying in the smallest of places all around the world. He is a graduate of LEAD Atlanta (Class of 2012), ULI Atlanta Center For Leadership Program (Class of 2019) and is currently in school for a Masters in Community Development at UGA. 

Panelist #1 

Baaba Halm, SVP of Programs and Interim Co-President for the Solutions division at Enterprise 

Baaba Halm is interim co-president of Solutions Division and senior vice president of programs for Enterprise Community Partners, where she leads continued expansion of the Solutions division, which oversees programmatic growth, prioritization, partner relations, stakeholder collaboration and state and local policy advocacy across U.S. regions.  

She previously served as vice president and New York market leader, guiding Enterprise’s advocacy efforts in New York and establishing the organization as a leading voice on housing matters statewide. She launched essential initiatives during her tenure, including weatherization and electrification pilot programs and Asset Management University 2.0 for affordable housing operators; Home 4 Good, an upstream eviction prevention pilot program leveraging an outcomes-based financing approach; and a home-sharing program to support new immigrants. Halm has over two decades of experience in housing, community development, and policy, and a deep commitment to racial equity. Halm received a bachelor’s degree from Morgan State University and a law degree from Brooklyn Law School. 

Panelist #2 

Brandon Kearse – Partner and Chief Investment Officer at Jonathan Rose Companies 

Brandon Kearse joined Jonanthan Rose Companies in 2015 as a member of the Acquisitions Team. He is responsible for analyzing and executing property and portfolio investments. Prior to joining Rose, Kearse worked as an associate at Summit Partners, a $15 billion growth equity fund, where he sourced and analyzed investments in the technology sector. He previously served as a Senior Business Analyst at McKinsey & Company, where he consulted for government agencies and Fortune 500 companies on a range of strategic and operational issues.  

Kearse received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and an M.S. in Civil Engineering (focused in transit and urban planning) from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and was a Rhodes Scholarship finalist. 

About Future Fridays 

Future Fridays is the first online event series of the National Building Museum’s Future Cities initiative, bringing together leading experts and practitioners to explore innovative ideas for building vibrant, resilient cities. Hosted by James Darius Ball, director of Future Cities, each virtual session focuses on different aspects of urban development and growth. This national program aims to address the key challenges shaping the future of urban environments. Held the first Friday of each month via Zoom, these one-hour events are designed to inspire and energize with actionable insights, helping to create a more prosperous future for cities that serve all Americans. By creating a space for collaborative idea-sharing, each session seeks to generate real-world solutions to urban challenges. 

This Program is part of the National Building Museum’s Future Cities Initiative. A special thank you to our sponsors AARP and Rooted Communities.