Peter G. Rowe, dean of the Graduate School of Design (GSD), said the goal of the annual lecture is to "increase the visibility of housing at Harvard" and to honor Dunlop who has had "an important role in shaping the Joint Center for Housing Studies."

J. Roger Glunt, chair of the National Housing Endowment, which co-sponsored the event with the GSD, said they were honoring Dunlop who has made "great contributions to American life in the areas of labor, healthcare and housing."

Glunt described Dunlop, who has also served as secretary of labor during the Gerald Ford administration, as a "scholar of the theoretical and practical."

Dunlop spoke briefly on his role in the development of the Joint Center for Housing Studies, from its days as a "wholesaler of research money" for many broad studies to its role as a research center focused on housing.

Colton, who had been a fellow at the Joint Center early in his career, as well as an associate professor at MIT, addressed an audience comprised mostly of members of the Builders Association of Greater Boston, University affliliates, and alums of both the Kennedy School of Government and the GSD.

Colton will join the center in June as a senior scholar.