Perspectives on Fair Housing: A New Six-Part Series

Penn IUR is pleased to announce a new Livestream series entitled "Perspectives on Fair Housing: Critical Discussions at a Critical Time." The series will feature some of the nation's top fair housing scholars to discuss the many reasons fair housing is one of the most important policy issues of our time. This six-part conversation, led by Penn IUR Faculty Fellow Vincent Reina, is presented in conjunction with the publication of the latest release in the Penn Press–Penn IUR City in the 21st Century series, Perspectives on Fair Housing, edited by Reina, Penn Provost Wendell Pritchett, and Penn IUR Co-Director Susan Wachter, with a foreword by Penn IUR Advisory Board Member Marc Morial.

The series will borrow its structure from the book, with each event featuring a panel discussion on one aspect of fair housing:

• October 13: The first event will focus on the history of the 1968 Fair Housing Act (FHA) and will feature a discussion on both the historical significance of the FHA and its implications for fair housing today.
• October 15: The second event will focus on the complex relationship between fair housing and sociology with a particular emphasis on the way that a lack of fair housing has affected individuals and communities and exacerbated unequal access to neighborhoods and networks.
• October 20: The third event will focus on the economic importance of fair housing, which has a direct link to wealth creation for households as well as economic development and growth for communities and regions.
• October 22: The fourth event will focus on location and education, drawing links between fair housing, access to schools, and investments in schools.
• October 27: The fifth event will focus on the legal significance of the FHA, which represents one of the most notable legislative achievements of the civil rights movement, but which also features limitations that challenge the government’s capacity for proactively advancing fair housing.
• October 29: The final event will acknowledge the many groups not protected by the FHA, focusing in particular on how future fair housing efforts can place greater emphasis on the issues of gender and sexual identity.

The series will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. over three weeks beginning October 13.