Solving housing together

No architect, planner, developer or policymaker can solve the housing challenge alone.

That idea will drive the 2026 Ekdahl Symposium, "Housing Matters: Design, Policy, and Development," as Kansas State University's College of Architecture, Planning & Design, or APDesign, brings together national thought leaders, practitioners, policymakers, faculty, students and community partners.

The symposium, hosted Sept. 22 to 24 in K‑State's Regnier Hall, will explore the many forces shaping housing, from affordability and attainability to equity, sustainability and quality of life. Those questions increasingly connect design with public policy, economic development and community planning, requiring perspectives that extend across disciplines and sectors.

Presented by APDesign, "Housing Matters" will examine those connections through keynote presentations, panel discussions, workshops and student engagement opportunities while highlighting the work of K-State's Better Housing Consortium and the Kansas City Design Center.

Participants will consider how designers, planners, developers, policymakers and community leaders can help create more attainable, resilient and equitable housing futures.

"Housing is not simply about buildings — it is about people, communities and opportunity," said Michael McClure, dean of the College of Architecture, Planning & Design. "At APDesign, we believe universities have an important role to play in bringing together the disciplines and perspectives needed to address today's housing challenges. The Ekdahl Symposium provides an opportunity to engage nationally recognized leaders while showcasing the innovative work being done by our faculty, students and partners across Kansas and beyond."

Exploring housing challenges across Kansas and the Midwest

The symposium opens Tuesday, Sept. 22, with a welcome reception in the Regnier Atrium, followed by opening remarks from McClure and presentations highlighting housing-focused initiatives at APDesign. Faculty and representatives from the Better Housing Consortium will share current research initiatives and community partnerships, while the Kansas City Design Center will present housing-focused studios, urban design investigations and regional collaborations.

Wednesday's programming will begin with housing roundtables featuring invited guests, Better Housing Consortium partners, Kansas City Design Center collaborators, faculty researchers, community organizations, public officials and industry leaders. The working sessions will focus on housing challenges facing Kansas and the Midwest.

The afternoon keynote series will feature nationally recognized voices in housing, design and community development, including:

• Matthew Porreca, principal at LPA Design Studios, who will present "Housing at Scale: Design Innovation and Delivery." His presentation will examine how design excellence, interdisciplinary collaboration and emerging delivery models can improve housing production and community outcomes.
• Karla Sierralta, professor and architect at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, who will discuss "Housing, Community, and Resilience." She will explore how community-engaged design and cultural context can contribute to more resilient and sustainable housing futures.
• Abby Newsham, AICP, a Kansas City-based urban planner and designer whose work focuses on community development, incremental growth and the creation of sustainable, human-scaled neighborhoods. Her professional interests include housing, small-scale development, transit-supportive development and strategies that give local residents and entrepreneurs greater opportunities to invest in their communities.

Newsham's presentation will provide a regional perspective on housing in Kansas City and the Midwest, exploring housing development, implementation, neighborhood-scale solutions, partnerships and opportunities to expand attainable housing.

The keynote presentations will culminate in a featured conversation moderated by a housing and community development leader.

The conversation will address topics including housing affordability and attainability, community-centered design, public-private partnerships, housing resilience, rural and urban housing challenges, and the evolving role of universities in addressing housing issues.

"Whether in urban neighborhoods, small towns or rural communities, housing is foundational to economic vitality and quality of life," McClure said. "By bringing together experts in design, planning, policy and development, we hope to inspire new partnerships and actionable ideas that can make a meaningful difference in our communities."

Turning conversation into collaboration

Additional programming on Thursday, Sept. 24, will include student and faculty conversations with symposium speakers, interdisciplinary workshops exploring future collaborations among APDesign, the Better Housing Consortium and regional partners and a closing luncheon.

The luncheon will summarize symposium outcomes and identify next steps for future "Housing Matters" initiatives, extending the conversation beyond the three-day event and toward potential collaborations and community impact.

Established through the generosity of the Ekdahl family, the Ekdahl Distinguished Lecture Series and Symposium has become a hallmark of APDesign's commitment to advancing discourse on the built environment. The 2026 symposium continues that tradition by addressing a challenge that touches every community and profession represented within the college.

Faculty, students, practitioners, policymakers, developers and community members are encouraged to attend.