Acknowledgments
This book grew out of a conference that the Kreisman Initiative on Housing Law and Policy convened in June 2016 in downtown Chicago at the University of Chicago’s Gleacher Center. The impetus behind the conference – and the animating vision for this book – was to break down barriers in what is often a fragmented academic discussion around housing issues, and to generate new policy-relevant ideas as well as a springboard for further discussion. We could not have realized that vision without the engaged, thoughtful, and spirited participation of all of the conference participants, and we are grateful to all who attended. In particular, we thank the discussants who provided commentary on the chapters included here: Vicki Been, Brian Brooks, Kate Cagney, Nestor Davidson, Nicole Garnett, Daniel Kay Hertz, William Hubbard, Damon Jones, John Mangin, Eduardo Peñalver, Karen Pence, and Luigi Zingales. We are also indebted to our conference moderators, whose expert syntheses and guidance of the discussion made the event unusually generative: Daniel Biss, David Dana, Jeff Leslie, Paul Shadle, Geoff Smith, and Janet Smith.
We also thank Thomas J. Miles, dean of the University of Chicago Law School, and Daniel Diermeier, provost of the University of Chicago (and former dean of the Harris School of Public Policy) for their support of the event and resulting book project, as well as Michael Schill, former dean of the University of Chicago Law School, for encouraging us at the crucial early stages of this project. We are indebted to many people who have provided support behind the scenes, but most especially Curtrice Scott, who orchestrated every aspect of the conference’s execution and played a key role in ensuring that this book came together as planned.
Finally, we extend our deep gratitude to David and Susan Kreisman, whose generosity through the Kreisman Initiative on Housing Law and Policy at the University of Chicago Law School made the conference and this book possible. We are honored to have the opportunity to advance a truly Chicago-style spirit of rigorous interdisciplinary dialogue around the crucial issue of housing through this project, and we look forward to continuing the conversation in the future.