Kenneth Chen, He/Him/His
Tell me about yourself:
My name is Kenneth Chen; I am in the Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honours) program at McMaster University. I am interested in exploring the intersection of health and community engagement to understand the manifestations of health on a societal level. I further aspire to improve the health of communities and populations through advocacy and research.
Coming from a program that has been a vocal proponent of interdisciplinary education and problem-based learning, I have gained ample exposure to the theories of community engagement through coursework early on in my undergraduate career. Inspired to see theory transformed into action, I joined the CityLAB Semester in Residence (SIR) program to take on a semester-long, community-engaged project––an ambitious undertaking I would have never imagined myself committing to entering into university.
CityLAB has been instrumental in broadening my horizon around municipal politics, policymaking, design thinking, dialogue skills, community engagement, and much more. It has enabled me to become a more informed and engaged member of the various communities I interact with daily. The skills and experiences I will take away from CityLAB will equip me to act as an effective agent of social change well beyond my time in university.
How is your project going so far?
My team is investigating solutions targeting the market rental housing and market home ownership aspects of the housing continuum.
There currently exists a bottleneck effect across the housing continuum for individuals and families attempting to access the most suitable housing for their needs. My team and I recognize that by ensuring the health and sustainability of the market home rental and ownership aspects of the continuum, we may then be able to alleviate burdens on other areas.
The research, dialogues, and potential solutions that result from our project will inform the City of Hamilton’s Housing Sustainability and Investment Roadmap. In this process, we aim to engage and accurately assess the needs of Hamilton residents and relevant stakeholders.