The 2011 class worked with Harvard School of Public Heath and the Boston Housing Authority to design a guidebook for residents of public housing units that had just been renovated. The two-sided books reading in English in one direction and Spanish in the other, with decal labels and pull-out instructional cards help longtime tenants of public housing to understand how to use and maintain “green” housing units, keeping them safe, smoke and pest free, and healthier for all residents.

“Our partners at the Boston Housing Authority (BHA), the Committee for Boston Pubic Housing (CBPH) and I have seen the direct benefits of these materials and we hope (and expect) that they will be used as a model for future work dedicated to improving housing... I especially appreciate the commitment that you and your students showed in making the materials appropriate for the community of families living in public housing. The students took the extra effort to ensure clarity, empathy and linguistic and cultural appropriateness.”

references:

Dr. Gary Adamkiewicz
Harvard School of Public Health
Senior Research Scientist
Department of Environmental Health

gadamkie@hsph.harvard.edu