Food x Housing NYC Conference 2026

Graphic image of produce and housing imagery and hands

Food x Housing NYC Conference 2026
One System: Scaling Food Sovereignty + Housing Justice

April 18, 2026 | Fordham University | Bronx, NY

Bronx Research Institute for Community Solutions (BRICS)

Led by the Food Sovereignty BRICS project team (Professor H. Shellae Versey, Fordham University Department of Psychology and CH + SE Lab & Henry Obispo, ReBORN Farms), this convening will bring bringing together community leaders, growers, schools, advocates, and institutional partners to connect the dots between food sovereignty and housing justice in NYC.

Learn More About Our Organizers, Panelists and Participants

The day will feature two summit blocks, interactive dialogue, and a film screening with a talkback, culminating in a co-created set of priorities to engage residents.

Register For Event

Welcome (9:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.)

Food and Urban Agriculture Summit (9:00 a.m. - 11 a.m.)

Fordham x NYU: Storytelling Using Data + Narratives Growing Solutions
Session A - 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

This panel explores how storytelling and data can be combined to support urban agriculture, featuring collaborative work between Fordham University and New York University. Presenters will highlight participatory research, community-driven data tools, and innovative platforms designed to strengthen equitable and resilient urban food systems.

Participating Organizations:

  • Fordham University
  • New York University Department of Nutrition and Food Studies
  • The Lab/The Black Farmer Project

Thinking Through Food Access: Voices from the Community
Session B - 10:00 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.

Moderated by ReBORN Farms Founder Henry Obispo, this discussion explores what food justice means for local growers, their challenges, and what can make growing fresh food in the city easier and more equitable. 

Participating Organizations:

  • ReBorn Farms
  • Green Guerillas
  • Chilis on Wheels
  • Corbin Hill Farms

Coffee Break (11:00 a.m. - 11:20 a.m.)

Film Screening (11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.)

still from the film Emergent City (2024)

Emergent City (2024)

In Sunset Park, Brooklyn, residents confront rising rents, the enduring impacts of environmental racism, and the disappearance of the industrial jobs that once anchored their community. When a global developer acquires a vast waterfront complex and unveils plans for an “innovation district,” a high-stakes struggle unfolds—one that will shape not only the neighborhood’s future, but that of New York itself.

Affordable Housing Summit (1:00 p.m. - 2:50 p.m.)

Affordable Housing Justice and Community-led Work: Brooklyn and Beyond
Session A - 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Join the creators of Emergent City and local activists and practitioners to discuss the redevelopment of Industry City and Red Hook in Brooklyn along with the struggles of community residents to be included in the decision-making process.

Participating Organizations:

  • Red Hook Initiative
  • Picture the Homeless
  • Cooper Square Community Land Trust
  • The team from Emergent City 

Community Co-Design Roundtables
Session B - 2:00 p.m. - 2:50 p.m.

Participate in one of three roundtables centered on community voices leading to action: The Future of NYCHA; The Future of Urban Agriculture; The Future of Affordable Housing.

Participating Organizations:

  • Red Hook Initiative
  • Partners for Dignity and Rights
  • ReBORN Farms
  • Save Section 9

Closing Remarks (2:50 p.m. - 3 p.m.)