On Feb. 26 Washburn Law’s Business and Transactional Law center and the Washburn Law Journal hosted The Future of Housing symposium.

The morning began with a welcome from Thomas Romig, Dean and Professor of Law at Washburn, and Andrea Boyack Co-Director and Associate Professor of Law, also at Washburn.

Kali Murray, Associate Professor of Law at Marquette University Law School, did the opening presentation that focused around Equity, Stability and the Sustainable Market.  Other professionals from various law schools–such as Boston College Law School, University of Notre Dame Law School and Savannah Law School–served as speakers on the three panels that were held throughout the day.

The first panel focused on equality in housing, issues of intentional discrimination and the unintentional, unequal impact of housing policy and law.

During lunch, Kathleen Engel, Research Professor of Law at Suffolk University Law School, addressed the question ‘Can technology solve the problem of complex consumer contracts?’

The second panel discussed Stability: Market Re-stabilization after 2008. They concentrated on sustainability in the modern American housing market and how to deal with the fallout of the 2008 crash.

The third and final panel of the day discussed the topic of Sustainability: Planning for the Future and Creative Solutions.The panel went into detail about innovative models that will help sustain housing policy in new and emerging markets. In additions they spoke about some new tactics to planning, zoning and environmental law.

At the end of the symposium, speaker James Kelly Jr., Clinical Professor of Law from the University of Notre Dame Law School, spoke about civil rights protections in vacant properties.