Aspects of the Housing Crisis through the lens of Abundance
Open to UM Community
A core argument in Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson is that the U.S. Housing crisis is driven by policy choices that prioritize wealth preservation over access. Cities used to be engines of upward mobility, but are now exclusionary because of costs. The panel will look at zoning, environmental, and construction regulation, systemic factors, and NIMBY-ism, among other factors. Darienne Driver Hudson, President and CEO of United Way for Southeastern Michigan, give insight based on its annual ALICE report.
Speaker Bios:
Roshana Mehdipanah is Associate Professor, Health Behavior & Health Equity in the School of Public Health. Her research focuses on urban health including urban renewal, gentrification and their impacts on health inequities. She is particularly interested in examining the health impacts of housing policies. She specializes in innovative research methods including realist evaluations and concept mapping to develop conceptual frameworks linking complex interventions to health. Mehdipanah is the co-lead for the Public Health IDEAS for Creating Healthy and Equitable Cities and the Director of the Housing Solutions For Health Equity initiative.
Noah Kazis is an assistant professor of law at Michigan Law. His research focuses on land use, housing, and local government law. He studies legal and policy mechanisms to make cities and suburbs more affordable, equitable, and integrated, as well as the internal institutional structures of local governments.
Darienne Driver Hudson is a nonprofit executive and life-long educator serving as President and CEO of United Way for Southeastern Michigan, located in Detroit and serving Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw and Wayne Counties. Before joining United Way in July 2018, she spent four years as superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools. She began her career as an elementary school teacher in Detroit Public Schools, a point of personal pride. Hudson co-chairs the Mayor’s Workforce Development Board, and she serves on the boards of the Detroit Children’s Fund, the Detroit Public Schools Foundation, Connect313, United Way Worldwide, and recently completed her term on the Board of Overseers for Harvard University.