Who has a home, and who does not? For that matter, what is a home? These questions form the framework of our semester-long project in this 3 credit BuildLab seminar, in which we will actively engage with the urgent dialogues surrounding the crises of homelessness and housing affordability that are the landscape of our city, and the landscape of our time. While we can't hope to develop definitive answers to these questions, we can use the resources of our time, talents, and energy to make direct action inputs that will prototype pieces of urban infrastructure to in some small way make home happen. Specifically, we will use the question of "what is a home" to help guide the design and making of small-scale urban interventions that bring some of the characteristics of "home" to those who need them. We may design and build a communal table and chairs that can be deployed to create a place to share meals, or make portable personal storage lockers. Who needs a stool to sit on? A bench to lie on? A mobile kitchen? Who needs protection from the rain, the sun, the wind? What are the individual objects and structures that combine together to create a home for a person, a group, a community? The primary educational goals of this seminar are to develop research and project management skills that can be combined with practical training in materials, tools, and processes of hands-on making. By limiting the size of the projects, we can increase their number, and access the iterative learning cycle of prototyping multiple examples of the same type. We will be working with activists from local shelter advocacy groups to identify needs, resources, and test users of the prototypes we create, and we will document the designs and techniques in open-source makers manuals to share what we've learned and created with others. Through our own direct action, we can hope to not only help some people in need, but to provide tools and inspiration for others who wish to continue the work. This course is part of the series of offerings by CCA's BuildLab, which initiates and engages with projects that not only embody the principles of the design/build process, but also serve to strengthen communities through a strong focus on social equity and engagement. Past projects have included work with the SF Mayor's office on the Mission Street Navigation Center for the homeless, lightweight school prototypes, inflatable shelters, community parks, and other community activation structures. See more at build.cca.edu.

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