The Public Interest Development Club is a multidisciplinary student organization at GSAPP that provides a forum for real estate development, urban planning, and architecture students to collaborate, learn, and explore opportunities that could contribute to positive social impact.

Hudson Matz ‘25 MSRED and Grace Hochberg ‘25 MSRED serve as co-presidents of the club, organizing discussions on the topics of affordable housing production and policy, supporting community development initiatives, transit-oriented development, emerging financial mechanisms, and advocating for environmental justice. Cecily King serves as the faculty advisor.

The Fall kick off presentation invited Lisa Talma of Deutsche Bank to GSAPP for a conversation on her work in public interest development through her career in the public and private sector. In Spring 2025 the club is planning to invite 2-3 more speakers on the topics of affordable housing, workforce development, and civic engagement.

Interim Director Adam Lubinsky, Principal at WXY, presented the firm’s work on a groundbreaking tool for Habitat for Humanity designed to help their national affiliates expand access to affordable homeownership. Lubinsky was joined by Bahij Chancey, Director of Planning at Habitat for Humanity, to present the HumanityLand tool with partners Forsyth Street Advisors at the Opportunity Finance Network Conference in Los Angeles in September 2024. Visit humanity.land to explore the game, which allows users to play the role of a Habitat affiliate seeking to acquire and develop housing on a greenfield lot.