Executive Director
Washington Housing Conservancy

Kimberly Driggins is the Executive Director of the Washington Housing Conservancy (WHC). Launched in 2018, WHC preserves affordable workforce housing, prevents displacement, and promotes economic mobility, especially for moderate to low-income African Americans and other people of color. WHC is committed to creating thriving, inclusive, mixed-income communities throughout the DC region.

Ms. Driggins has an extensive background in urban planning and real estate development and prior to her appointment at WHC, she served as Director of Strategic Planning/Arts and Culture for the City of Detroit’s Planning and Development Department for three years. Ms. Driggins also served as Associate Director for Citywide Planning for the District of Columbia’s Office of Planning from 2008-2015.

Ms. Driggins is a nationally recognized expert in urban redevelopment and placemaking and has innovative projects in both Detroit and Washington, DC. She currently serves on the boards of PennPraxis, the National Landing Business Improvement District (BID), and was Board Chairperson for Gehl Institute from 2017-2019. She has a BA degree from Hampton University, an MPP from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. Ms. Driggins was awarded the prestigious Loeb Fellowship from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design in 2015.

Speaking at the Following:

Feb 21

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

The Role of Housing in Creating Vibrant Urban Communities

10:00am – 11:15am
Hilton Austin, Governor's Salon D, Floor 4

It’s everywhere in the news; downtowns are suffering. As the pandemic disrupted in-person office culture, less foot traffic in these areas has negatively impacted retail, small businesses, public space, transportation, and public safety. However, the focus has been on office-to-residential and other anchors to bring people back downtown. This panel will instead focus on the opportunity for affordable and mixed-income housing to reshape their communities and provide economic mobility for their residents. With the right place-based strategies and intentional community partnerships, housing developments can be a platform for a community’s soul and provide downtowns and urban centers with a new […]