Heather Dodd was privileged to be invited to participate in, and speak at the UIA Affordable Housing Activation conference in Madrid in May 2022. Sharing the stage with Iñaqui Carnicero, Odile Decq, Cheryl S. Durst and Paul Karakusevic, the panel moderated by Prof. Martha Thorne discussed removing barriers inherent in design that inhibit housing provision. The talk entitled ‘Spatial Dissonance’ – the challenges of housing in South Africa’ reflected on the housing work of Savage + Dodd Architects and how the practice has employed a tactical approach that engages both an understanding of policy and a keen observation of the changing city.