New offering brings together faculty from MIT and Harvard, and respected leaders in medicine, public health policy, planning, and architecture to explore how to leverage design, technology and real estate to develop communities that support the health and well-being of our society—especially our aging population
Cambridge, Mass. —February 10, 2020 — A ground-breaking new course delivered by MIT Professional Education, Developing Health-Centered Communities: The Next Revolution in Real Estate brings together renowned faculty from the MIT Center for Real Estate (CRE) and Harvard Medical School Executive Education (HMS). Together with expert leaders in real estate, medicine, public health, and technology, participants will explore innovative ways of adapting and developing urban spaces to support the health and well-being of the world’s growing aging population.
“This course came about due to our desire at MIT Professional Education to explore bringing together the expertise of MIT and the Harvard Medical School to address key human health challenges, in keeping with the spirit of MIT’s mission to advance knowledge to help address some of the world’s greatest challenges,” said Bhaskar Pant, Executive Director, MIT Professional Education. “By connecting respected leaders in real estate, urban design, health care and public policy, with expert faculty from two of the world’s most prestigious academic institutions, this groundbreaking new course will help accelerate the development of health-centered communities designed to address the challenges and opportunities of caring for our world’s growing elderly population,” he continued.
“Health-centered communities are a revolutionary concept that could transform the future of urban and suburban planning,” said Dennis Frenchman, Director of the MIT Center for Real Estate and the Class of 1922 Professor of Urban Design and Planning. “Baby boomers are looking for convenient, affordable, aging-in-place health care options. Millennials, meanwhile, are pursuing physical environments that support their well-being and community-centric values. Our goal is to provide a blueprint for how to navigate these complex and profound demographic and cultural shifts taking shape throughout our society.”
Developing Health-Centered Communities: The Next Revolution in Real Estate takes place April 13-17, 2020 on both the MIT and HMS campuses. Over the course of five days, participants will work alongside a select group of peers —from across the globe and various industries—by taking part in project-based learning opportunities, site visits, Health Impact Assessments, and other activities. Guided by prominent faculty, physicians, and planners, participants will explore key topics inherent to creating a vibrant, health-centered community, such as:
- Design principles of healthy neighborhoods: medical evidence for how communities and built environments can influence health and disease (e.g., through effects on mobility, social interaction, the chemical and microbial environment, etc.);
- Economics of healthy communities: value proposition and ROI on a broad-scale over time;
- Responsive architecture and technologies that support children, the elderly and those with special needs;
- Forces shaping the future of health care: economics, digital platforms, sensors, and artificial intelligence;
- New models for health care delivery;
- Startups focused on healthy communities and cities.
Lead instructors of the course include Professor Dennis Frenchman, Director of the MIT Center for Real Estate in the School of Architecture and Planning, and Dr. Stanley Shaw, Associate Dean for Executive Education at Harvard Medical School. A long list of respected leaders in the real estate and health arenas are expected to take part, including: Andy Altman, Joseph Allen, Wanda McClain, Madhuri Reddy, Maggie Super Church, J. Phillip Thompson, and more.
Registration for the course is now open. For more information or to enroll, visit our course page.
About MIT Professional Education
A leader in technology and engineering education, MIT Professional Education provides world-class learning opportunities for professionals who are looking to advance their careers, creatively address complex problems, and build a better future.
About Harvard Medical School Executive Education
HMS Executive Education engages business leaders whose work impacts health care and exposes them to the real-world practice of medicine, cutting-edge trends in science, clinical workflows, and health care delivery.
About MIT Center for Real Estate
Founded in 1983, the MIT Center for Real Estate’s mission is to positively impact the quality of the built environment and to educate real estate professionals in the practice of city-making on a global scale through our graduate degree program, research, and industry engagement.
