AUGUSTA - Rep. Grayson Lookner, D-Portland, has been selected to accompany Hawaii State Senator Stanley Chang and fellow state legislators and advocates from across the United States to examine social and public housing in Vienna, Austria this month.
Vienna houses over 60 percent of all city residents and is home to one of Europe's largest urban housing developments, Seestadt Aspern. Delegates will have the opportunity to visit housing sites and learn about financing, construction and urban planning with the hopes of expanding housing availability within their respective communities.
"Housing is a human right, and as Maine works towards that ideal, there are lessons to be gleaned from other countries that have made progress in that direction," said Lookner. "I am honored and excited to be joining this group of lawmakers from around the country to learn about how Vienna has created a model of housing that is accessible, affordable and highly livable for all of its residents, and to see how we can apply those lessons in our state."
Lookner, who represents a portion of Portland, is serving his first term in the Maine House of Representatives and is a member of the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee.
Contact:
Jenna Howard [Lookner], c. 214-3185