About the Symposium

What should be done about our nation's housing crisis? Will educational choice help or hurt public schools? Why is there no quality retail in urban areas? Will biotech improve the job prospects of New Haven residents?

Theme: Increasingly, policymakers and urban community development practitioners are applying market-based solutions to housing, education, and job creation challenges. Some critics of the market-based paradigm advocate for a politically-engaged form of community development that prioritizes mobilizing marginalized communities to successfully advocate for economic justice. The symposium will offer a critical perspective on these two competing paradigms, examining the role of markets, government, and social mobilization in community development.

What: The symposium's keynote addresses, featuring Scott Cummings, Professor of Law at UCLA Law School, and Anne Habiby, Co-Executive Director of Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, will offer critical perspectives on two competing paradigms for urban community development: market-based solutions and politically-engaged social mobilization. Subsequent panels on education, housing, retail development, and job creation will examine specific innovative approaches to community development, with attention to the role of markets, government, and social mobilization. The panels will feature leading experts and innovators in the field of urban community development and will offer a unique opportunity for exchange between practitioners and theorists. Additionally, the event will provide a forum for those who think about and practice urban community development to meet each other informally. For more information on speakers and panels, see the schedule.

When: April 11, 2003. Check-in and continental breakfast begin at 8:00 AM, the keynote addresses begin at 9:00 AM. See schedule for details.

Where: The Symposium will be held at Yale Law School in New Haven, CT. Please see the logistics page for directions, lodging information, and other details

Who: The symposium is co-sponsored by Yale Law School, YLS Housing and Community Development Clinic, and the Yale Law and Enterprise Forum. For details on speakers, see the schedule.

Registration: Please register on our website. There is no cost to attend the symposium. Registration will help us plan, and enable us to keep you informed if there are any schedule or location changes.

Partners: The Yale Law School gratefully acknowledges the support of our partner organizations in helping publicize and promote the symposium. Please see the partner page for a list of and information about our partners.

You can help! If you would like to become a partner of the symposium and help publicize it in your organization, school, or community, please contact Parviz Parvizi at parviz.parvizi@yale.edu!