Boston – Stantec architect Aeron Hodges was honored last Friday by Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and his OneIn3 Council for her work to incorporate affordable housing for young professionals into the mayor’s Imagine2030 vision.
Hodges received a OneIn3 Impact Award, which recognizes outstanding civic leaders under age 35 who are making strides to improve such issues as housing, professional development, financial health, entrepreneurship, and civic engagement. Hodges was selected for the honor based on her work to advocate for micro-units in downtown Boston. These apartments or condos, designed to be under 450 square feet, create affordable, attractive places to live in downtown Boston for a demographic – such as young professionals – who currently can’t afford it.
As part of this effort, Hodges cofounded the WHAT’S IN housing research initiative, which studies innovation in emerging urban living environments. Through an R&D grant from Stantec, she and her partners lead research on how people adapt to living small, innovative projects that are challenging the perception of smallness, and how smart designs and technology could upgrade tiny apartments.
Hodges received her master of architecture degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is currently an adjunct professor at Roger Williams University in Rhode Island.
Stantec’s Boston practice employs over 230 architects, landscape architects, planners, engineers, and other design and development professionals.
