Naama Blonder, Smart Destiny

Naama Blonder, founder of Smart Destiny, wants to change what good housing can and should look like in a growing city like Toronto. She combines the disciplines of architecture, urban planning and urban design to offer a realistic understanding of how cities can address housing affordability and champion inclusive neighborhoods with more equitable access to housing.

Blonder’s efforts demonstrate to residents and the industry the mutually beneficial outcomes of reimagining what big cities can look like. Ideas include greater access to established public transport, shortened commutes, improved housing costs and vacancy rates, greater diversity in housing, and strengthened local economies and communities.

Her work has received numerous awards, including the prestigious Ontario Association of Architects’ Best Emerging Practice Award.

She is a board member with the Kehilla Residential Programme and serves as an Urban Design Fellow. Blonder has also been a panel member with the City of Burlington Design Review Panel and a Special Lecturer with the University of Waterloo’s School of Architecture.

She received her B.Arch. from the Israel Institute of Technology and studied architecture at École nationale supérieure d’architecture de Paris-La Villette in France.

These are some of the reasons why Naama Blonder was selected to receive ApartmentBuildings.com’s first annual AB 100 Innovator of the Year Award, which recognizes those who demonstrate creativity, skill and success in the multifamily industry.