A Connecticut Law Review Symposium
Access to safe and affordable housing remains a challenge for millions of Americans. Historical and systemic factors, including redlining and discriminatory lending practices, have disproportionately affected minority communities, contributing to disparities in home ownership and exacerbating the housing affordability crisis. Unsafe or inaccessible rental housing, as well as rising rental costs, create additional barriers to housing security nationwide. While progress has been made due to the passage of the Fair Housing Act and other consumer protection laws, the affordable housing crisis and tenant rights’ violations persist. Moreover, the use of artificial intelligence in housing markets and public housing is raising new concerns. Leading scholars discussed some of these problems and innovative efforts to address them. Participants also shared their predictions for future housing law and policy needs and made recommendations for how to move forward. View the videos here.
Keynote speaker: Richard Rothstein
Author of The Color of Law—A Forgotten History of How our Government Segregated America (2017); and Just Action—How to Challenge Segregation Enacted Under the Color of Law (2023, and co-authored by Leah Rothstein).
Panel 1: A Better Fair Housing Act – Evaluations & Recommendations
Moderator: Professor James Matthews
Panelists: Professor Melvin Kelley, Professor Rigel Olivieri, & Professor Stacy Seicshnaydre
Panel 2: Understanding AI’s Effect on Tenants, Prospective Buyers, and Housing Markets
Moderator: Professor Nadiyah Humber
Panelists: Dr. Michael Akinwumi, Senior Counsel Marc Epstein, & Dr. Erin McElroy
Panel 3: Housing Access & Affordability: Challenges and Proposed Solutions
Moderator: Professor Jeffrey Gentes
Panelists: Professor Rashmi Dyal-Chand, Professor Julie Gilgoff, Professor Anika Singh Lemar, & Professor Nicole Summers