The housing infrastructure of human communities has evolved across the centuries in response to economic, technological and demographic forces as well as artistic and social preferences.

Boston offers an invaluable historical record on the evolutionary trends in housing in recent centuries and is now becoming a test-bed for housing innovations to better serve human needs and aspirations in the centuries to come.

Three of Boston’s pre-eminent leaders in housing and urban design will guide this Long Now Boston conversation on the future of housing.

Some of the questions to be addressed include:

How did we get here?

What factors drive housing design and innovation?

What evidence can we see for historic housing innovations in the Boston area?

Where are we now?

How well is our present housing infrastructure dealing with current economic and demographic conditions?

What problems do we need to address?

What are the key barriers to successful innovation?

Where are we going?

What are the most promising innovations in the short term? The longer term?

What might Boston look like in 100 years?

What action plan is needed to get where we want to go?