Archive: February 2009

News and Notes

  • LA-based designer Jonathan Jarvis has put together a fantastic video explaining the current credit crisis. This is a must-watch:
  • from the Chicago Tribune: Elmhurst real estate office settles race bias lawsuit<!-- content -->
    "An Elmhurst real estate office and one its former agents admitted no wrongdoing but agreed to pay a $120,000 settlement to end a federal lawsuit alleging racial bias.
    "According to a consent decree released Wednesday by U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald's office, the National Fair Housing Alliance conducted an undercover investigation of the Re/Max East-West office and agent John DeJohn between June 2004 and February 2005. The alliance sent prospective home buyers of different races and national origins to see how they would be treated. The alliance reported its findings to the Department of Housing and Urban Development."

What did you think of Holder&#039;s speech?

Earlier this week, new Attorney General Eric Holder delivered an interesting speech on race.

News and Notes

Free Foreclosure Workshops Scheduled

From the Chicago Tribune:

Five housing counseling agencies have organized a series of free workshops from February through May to focus on the negative impact of foreclosures on communities.

Each event will feature a panel presentation followed by a review of government and private sector efforts designed to address foreclosures. The events will close with information on resources available in impacted communities.

"Foreclosures are devastating for individuals and for communities," says Liz Caton, director of counseling services for the Northwest Side Housing Center and one of the event organizers. "We can soften the impact by getting more people information through forums like this, one-on-one time with a housing counselor and by supporting community-based education, planning, and advocacy."

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Meet MoveSmart.org: Our Newest Board Member, Prof. Maria Krysan

This is the first in a series of posts in which we'll introduce you to the folks behind MoveSmart.org.

We're incredibly excited to announce that Prof. Maria Krysan of the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Institute of Government and Public Affairs* has joined the MoveSmart.org board of directors. Maria's work on the Chicago Area Study has been enormously influential on this entire project and she is going to be a huge asset as we get into the nitty gritty of designing the neighborhood search mechanism.