In mid-century Los Angeles, public housing was designed to house the many workers flooding to the city seeking jobs in the booming industrial economy. Taking advantage of the climate, the various developments used the popular garden apartment model and employed some of the area’s most prominent architects. A lack of maintenance and serial disinvestment led to decline, and now these civic resources are deteriorated and under threat. With a strong background in affordable housing development, alumna Leslie-Anne Palaroan talks with Willa Seidenberg about the challenges and opportunities of considering public housing historic and the nexus between affordable housing and heritage conservation.