Chris Velasco has a passion for green buildings – and, no, he’s not just referring to the paint color. As Executive Director of PLACE, a nonprofit dedicated to sustainable and affordable housing, Chris and his team collaborate with cities to design and build mixed-income and transit-oriented developments. 

While many assume that sustainable developments are more expensive than traditional developments, Chris has found the opposite to be true. PLACE works with people to create energy-efficient and cost-effective spaces that promote community involvement and creativity without breaking the bank. 

In episode 12 of our In Practice series, Heather and Chris discuss the ways sustainability and affordability go hand-in-hand and how developments like Via Sol are changing the way we think about multi-family housing developments.