Vanegas keynotes IAHS World Congress on Housing in Istanbul

In his keynote address to the [38th International Association for Housing Science World Congress on Housing] (http://www.iahshousing2012.itu.edu.tr/) held last April in Istanbul, Jorge Vanegas, dean of the Texas A&M College of Architecture, suggested the formation of a networked, collaborative public/private partnership between academia, industry and governments to advance global solutions to meet the need for quality, affordable, sustainable, high-performance housing.

His presentation to an international audience at Istanbul Technical University was part of the IAHS annual gathering, focused this year on "Visions for the Future: Mega-Cities."

"The built environment is the most critical element in any society to ensure the quality of life of its people, its growth and evolution, and ultimately, its survival," said Vanegas. "Within this context, the provision of high quality and performance, sustainable, and affordable housing for every socio-economic stratum of a society continues to be a critical need, but remains an elusive goal."

The conference marked the IAHS's 40th anniversary. The non-governmental organization was founded in at the University of Missouri, to collect, generate and disseminate new knowledge on housing science.

Conference subthemes focused on innovations in design, construction schemes, financing systems and the effective management of housing projects. Proceedings and keynote presentations are available for [download] (http://www.iahshousing2012.itu.edu.tr/Icerik.aspx?sid=11057) on the conference website.