Avi Friedman studied architecture and town planning in Italy, Israel and Canada. In 1988, he founded the Affordable Homes Program at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. He is known for his housing innovation and in particular for the Grow Home and the Next Home designs, both townhouses that have been replicated internationally. He has published extensively in academic and trade publications and has authoredten books, including Sustainable Residential Development (McGraw-Hill) andHomes Within Reach (John Wiley & Sons). He is Professor of Architecture at McGill University, where he is also Director of the Affordable Research Group. As well as being an Honorary Professor at Lancaster University, U.K., he is also a practising architect and the recipient of numerous awards, including the Manning Innovation Award and the United Nations World Habitat Award. In 2000, he was selected by Wallpaper magazine as one of ten people from around the world "most likely to change the way we live."