The immediate global need for affordable housing is estimated to exceed 400 million units. Moreover, each year more citizens are qualifying for and demanding better housing options from their leaders. Solutions to this problem must extend beyond publicizing the latest ingenious invention or erecting a pile of cheap houses, actions which only further strain an already fragile environment and infrastructure. The solutions must start with a comprehensive urban plan and then deliver not just an affordable home, but a vibrant and sustainable new community that provides a healthy and safe environment for people to flourish. To help leaders define, evaluate, and bring these kinds of integrated housing solutions to their cities and countries, the Technology and Entrepreneurship Center at Harvard with support from Barcelona Housing Systems recently gathered senior public and private sector executives for the 2016 Strategic Innovation Summit on Affordable Communities Everywhere (ACE2016). Held at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA, the Summit provided an unprecedented opportunity to learn from, and network with, the world’s leading disruptive thinkers and innovators within the sector, as well as Harvard faculty and researchers, and select executives from the affordable housing and finance community. The Summit examined housing solutions from the perspective of “The Doctrine of the Three D´s – Dignity, Durability, and Delight,” developed by Prof. Vijay Govindarajan and Jack Wilson at Dartmouth College. The agenda built upon this framework, identifying relevant parameters that define each “D” relating to affordable and sustainable communities. The Summit also allowed participants to explore questions concerning the efficient development, management, and evaluation of existing and proposed projects launching around the globe.