Ken Szymanski

Greater Charlotte Apartment Association
Executive Director

Biography

Ken Szymanski is chief staff executive for the Greater Charlotte Apartment Association and has been in the housing and community development fields for 40 years, including 29 years in Charlotte. He is involved with many aspects of both market-rate and assisted housing, including development, operations, member education and public policy formation. He has served on numerous local housing-based boards, including the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Coalition for Housing, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing Partnership, and Charlotte Emergency Housing. His formal training is in city planning, land economics and public administration. He  has worked for local governments in San Antonio, Texas, and Toledo, Ohio. He received the “Fair Housing Hero” Award from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Community Relations Committee in 2008, is a registered lobbyist in the North Carolina General Assembly and a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners.

Education

Bachelor’s in urban geography from SUNY-Albany and master’s in city & regional planning from Western Kentucky University.

Expertise

Housing, land use, and community development

Articles

  • Can we revive real meaning of ‘affordable housing’?
    plancharlotte.org
    Aug 01, 2018
    Does using the term “affordable housing” to mean subsidized housing lead us to stop considering housing affordability across the community? Commentary.
  • Can we revive real meaning of ‘affordable housing’?
    ui.uncc.edu
    Aug 01, 2018
    Does using the term “affordable housing” to mean subsidized housing lead us to stop considering housing affordability across the community? Commentary.
  • Evictions: A vicious cycle for people in poverty
    plancharlotte.org
    Jul 27, 2016
    Examinations of urban poverty are nothing new, but author Matthew Desmond’s study of the causes of evictions and their consequences for families, housing quality and the fabric of neighborhoods is innovative, thought-provoking, and readable. A book review.
  • Evictions: A vicious cycle for people in poverty
    ui.uncc.edu
    Jul 27, 2016
    Examinations of urban poverty are nothing new, but author Matthew Desmond’s study of the causes of evictions and their consequences for families, housing quality and the fabric of neighborhoods is innovative, thought-provoking, and readable. A book review.
  • In Charlotte housing debate, let’s look at underlying factors
    plancharlotte.org
    Feb 02, 2016
    For decades, the complex challenge of housing low-income Charlotteans has inspired studies, public debate, policy changes and other actions.This essay traces how the challenges—and responses to them—have changed, and what the future might bring. Commentary.
  • In Charlotte housing debate, let’s look at underlying factors
    ui.uncc.edu
    Feb 02, 2016
    For decades, the complex challenge of housing low-income Charlotteans has inspired studies, public debate, policy changes and other actions.This essay traces how the challenges—and responses to them—have changed, and what the future might bring. Commentary.
  • Housing on $20K a year: What Charlotte stats tell us
    plancharlotte.org
    Jun 04, 2014
    It's hard to know which of the mountains of housing statistics really matter. To me, two important sets of numbers unlock the story. Commentary from Ken Szymanski. (Photo: Melissa Currie)
  • Housing on $20K a year: What Charlotte stats tell us
    ui.uncc.edu
    Jun 04, 2014
    It's hard to know which of the mountains of housing statistics really matter. To me, two important sets of numbers unlock the story. Commentary from Ken Szymanski. (Photo: Melissa Currie)