University of Pennsylvania Urban Law Forum: Blog

News Coverage of Urban Policy and the Presidency

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:32:49 GMT

The Urban Law Forum would like to thank the over 100 people who attended our debate, "Urban Policy and the Presidency," on Thursday, April 17. Also, thanks to our co-sponsors, the Penn Institute for Urban Research, Next American City magazine, and the law school. You can learn more about the specifics of the event by reading the blog posts below. Recently, NPR and Next American City reported on the event, and you can listen and read using the links below.

WNYC - Obama and Clinton on Urban Policies

Next American City - Urban Policy and the Presidency

Please check the website again closer to the end of the summer as the Urban Law Forum announces plans for the upcoming school year.

Urban Policy and the Presidency Debate Tomorrow!

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 17:50:03 GMT

The Urban Law Forum will host a debate on urban policy between experts from the Clinton and Obama campaigns tomorrow, April 17, from 12:00 - 1:15 p.m. at the University of Pennsylvania Law School (3400 Chestnut St., Silverman Hall, Room 240B). Please RSVP to urbanlawforum@law.upenn.edu if you are interested in attending.

The participants are (updated):

Robert Weissbourd, Chair of Obama Urban Policy Group, founder of RW Ventures, LLC, and former Executive Vice President of Shorebank Chicago Companies

Andrew Lamas, Obama campaign representative and Professor of Urban Studies, University of Pennsylvania

James Eisenhower, Clinton campaign representative, Partner and Chair of the Government and Regulatory Affairs Practice Group at Schnader, Harrison, Segal and Lewis, LLP

Gideon Parchomovsky, Moderator, Professor of Law, University of PennsylvaniaPlanned topics for discussion include: affordable housing, homeownership, the mortgage crisis, economic development, transportation, minimum wage, education, environmental justice, and municipal stances on gun control and eminent domain.

You may now view the event program and a relevant New York Times Op-Ed.

Urban Policy and the Presidency - April 17

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 23:44:23 GMT

Urban Policy and the Presidency
Thursday, April 17, 12:00 - 1:15 p.m.
University of Pennsylvania Law School
Silverman Hall, Room 240B

Please join the Urban Law Forum for a panel debate between urban policy experts from the Clinton and Obama campaigns. Lunch will be served at 12:00 p.m. and the debate will begin at 12:15 p.m.

Committed participants (biographies below) include:

Robert Weissbourd, Chair of Obama Urban Policy Group, founder of RW Ventures, LLC, and former Executive Vice President of Shorebank Chicago Companies

Laurie Actman, Member of Obama Urban Policy Group and Chief Policy Development Officer at Select Greater Philadelphia

James Eisenhower, Clinton campaign representative, Partner and Chair of the Government and Regulatory Affairs Practice Group at Schnader, Harrison, Segal and Lewis, LLP

Gideon Parchomovsky, Moderator, Professor of Law, University of Pennsylvania

The debate will focus on the federal government's role in urban policy and development in the context of the upcoming Democratic primary in Pennsylvania. Topics for discussion include community and economic development (and federal programs including the Community Development Block Grant), housing (including Section 8, HOPE VI, the Low Income Housing Tax Credit, and mixed-income housing), and environmental justice, as well as the impact of urban policies on minorities and the poor.

For more information, please contact David Gest at gest at law.upenn.edu. Please RSVP to urbanlawforum at law.upenn.edu.

Co-Sponsored by the Penn Institute for Urban Research (http://www.upenn.edu/penniur) and Next American City magazine (http://americancity.org)

Participant biographies:

Robert Weissbourd (chair of Obama Urban Policy Group) founded RW Ventures, LLC in 2000. Mr. Weissbourd had previously served for ten years in executive positions at Shorebank Corporation, including most recently as Executive Vice President of Shorebank Chicago Companies. Mr. Weissbourd has been a frequent public speaker and guest lecturer, as well as author, on a broad range of urban markets, poverty, race, education, housing, and economic development issues. He has also testified on these issues before federal, state and local legislatures. Mr. Weissbourd has been active for over twenty five years in community and civic organizations, including service as President or Vice-President of the Boards of City Colleges of Chicago, Crossroads Fund, Businesspeople in the Public Interest, the Center for Neighborhood Technology and PROCAN, as well as on the Visiting Committee of the University of Chicago Law School, and the Advisory Committees for the (Chicago) Mayor's Technology Advisory Committee, Brookings Metropolitan Economy Project and Brookings Urban Markets Initiative. Before joining Shorebank, Mr. Weissbourd was a partner at Hartunian, Futterman & Howard, specializing in federal constitutional and class action litigation, school desegregation and representation of government and non-profit agencies. Mr. Weissbourd clerked for federal Judge George Leighton, after receiving a J.D. from University of Chicago Law School and a B.A. from Yale University.

Laurie Actman (member of Obama Urban Policy Group) is the Chief Policy Development Officer at Select Greater Philadelphia. Ms. Actman is responsible for developing and implementing the economy-building agenda of the CEO Council for Growth, an elite group of business and nonprofit executives committed to tri-state economic development. Ms. Actman brings over ten years experience with organizations focused on economic development, transportation, advocacy and public policy and communications. Since moving to Philadelphia she has developed and lead efforts to improve the region's climate for economic development by working with the private sector and elected officials at the federal, state and local levels. Ms. Actman, who worked at the Brookings Institution and Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Washington, D.C. for five years, graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a degree in political science and holds a Masters Degree in Regional Planning and Economic Development from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

James Eisenhower (Clinton campaign representative), a Partner at Schnader, Harrison, Segal and Lewis, LLP, chairs the firm's Government and Regulatory Affairs Practice Group, co-chairs the Government Investigations, Corporate Compliance and Criminal Defense Group, and serves on the firm's political action committee. He was the 2004 Democratic candidate for attorney general of Pennsylvania. His practice emphasis is on government relations, criminal law, investigative services, ethics and election law and complex civil litigation. His clients have included the housing authorities of several large cities, a number of current and former public officials, and national corporations. Mr. Eisenhower graduated from Temple University with a degree in political science and received a J.D. from Antioch University School of Law.

Gideon Parchomovsky (moderator) specializes in intellectual property, property law, and cyber law. Parchomovsky has already made significant contributions to the field through his wide-ranging scholarship, having written numerous articles for major law reviews on liability rules, insider trading, trademarks, domain names, internal auctions and the integration game. Most recently, he has been advocating the need for a comprehensive property theory and the need to introduce a value-oriented theory.

Philadelphia Reality Tour A Success!

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 00:37:41 GMT

We had a great turnout on Saturday, March 29, for our inaugural Philadelphia Reality Tour. After a visit to Mill Creek Urban Farm in West Philadelphia, we traveled to North Philly and toured Kensington with the Kensington Welfare Rights Union. We then concluded with a lunch presentation at Project H.O.M.E.

You can learn more about the tour by viewing our tour packet, tour map, and tour photos.

Philadelphia Reality Tour Update

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 03:01:46 GMT

Join the Urban Law Forum as we visit neighborhoods outside the Center City/University City area. The tour will take place on Saturday, March 29th from 11am - 3pm.

The tour will start with a first-hand view of the effect of de-industrialization in North Philadelphia. Along the way, we'll pass through neighborhoods that highlight certain aspects of daily life in lower-income areas (including vibrant churches, rehabilitation centers and assistance offices). While the specific participant agenda is still being finalized, we hope to be joined by experts with academic, non-profit and volunteer perspectives. The tour will also include a stop for lunch at a dynamic and progressive homeless advocacy and community economic development agency, where all the proceeds will directly benefit the organization's homeless residents.

Please RSVP ASAP, as space is limited. A contribution of $5-$10 may be required. To sign-up for the tour, or for more specific questions regarding the tour and the developing agenda, please contact Joanna Visser at jvisser at law.upenn.edu.

Another Interesting Conference

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 01:48:52 GMT

Reinventing Older Communities: How Does Place Matter?, March 26-28, 2008

Reinventing Older Communities is a biannual conference that has become a major meeting ground for policymakers, community developers, lenders, funders, planners, and government representatives who want to learn from leading practitioners and researchers around the country.

Contact the Penn Institute for Urban Research to inquire about the possibility of a reduced student registration rate.

Two Upcoming Conferences at Penn

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 15:43:14 GMT

Two upcoming conferences at Penn will cover a variety of topics that touch on urban planning and law. You can learn more about each conference (and register for free!) by clicking on the links below.

Edward V. Sparer Symposium, March 21, 2008

Penn Law’s 27th Annual Edward V. Sparer Symposium, “Redefining Aggregate Welfare: Revitalizing a City in Pursuit of Economic Justice” will bring together public interest practitioners and social justice leaders from across the region. The Symposium will examine various issues relating to urban revitalization. Panel discussions will include Reframing Cost-Benefit Analysis: Evidence-Based Approaches to Valuing the Public Good; The High Cost of Safety: Who Pays?; and Redistributing Justice: Why Our Cities Need a Movement for Economic Human Rights. The day will culminate with a strategy session entitled "Philadelphia: A Call to Action." In small breakout groups, symposium participants will consider concrete goals related to economic justice and development in light of the themes highlighted by earlier panels and the keynote address.

Unspoken Borders: Consciousness in Sustainable Design, April 4-5, 2008

Last Spring, the PennDesign Black Student Alliance sponsored a conference to ignite discussion on issues related to minorities within the disciplines of architecture, city planning, fine arts, historic preservation, interior design, and landscape architecture. More specifically, this dialogue gave participants the opportunity to discuss the tangible and intangible borders that are created, enhanced, or ignored by the various professions.

Unspoken Borders 2008 will build upon last year’s discourse of equity within the design professions by examining equity through the lens of sustainability. Sustainable practice integrates economic, equity, and environmental concerns. Unspoken Borders 2008 focus on urban minority communities and evaluate how well each of the three principals have been integrated into sustainable practice in these communities, with a focus on equity. A key goal of the conference is to encourage critical thought about sustainability within current and future professionals and equip them with strategies they can incorporate into their own work.

Welcome to the Urban Law Forum website!

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 16:29:22 GMT

This is the first blog post to the new ULF website. We'll post information about upcoming events and other items of interest here, so keep checking back. If you would like to learn more about the group or become a member, email us at urbanlawforum@law.upenn.edu.

Philadelphia Reality Tour
Saturday, March 29. Time: Tentatively 11:00am - 2:00pm.

Join the ULF as we tour neighborhoods outside of the Center City/University City area. This tour will provide you with a unique perspective on the challenges facing the city and its diverse neighborhoods. We will be visiting local agents of change and engaging in a dialog with residents who are battling complex issues on a daily basis. You will also have the opportunity to see the effect that urban blight and gentrification is having on the city on the ground level. We hope this will be an exciting and eye opening experience for all of us.

Urban Policy and the Presidency
Date and Time TDB (likely the week of April 14th).

The Urban Law Forum is planning to host a panel discussion on the federal government’s role in urban policy and development in the context of the upcoming Democratic primary in Pennsylvania. We seek to invite expert representatives from both Senator Obama’s and Senator Clinton’s campaigns, and provide a forum for them to discuss their candidate’s positions on urban policy issues, and respond to audience questions. Proposed topics for discussion include community and economic development (and the fate of federal programs like the Community Development Block Grant), housing (including coverage of Section 8, HOPE VI, the Low Income Housing Tax Credit, mixed-income housing, and public-private partnerships), employment, and environmental justice, as well as the often disparate impact of urban policies on minorities and the poor.