ULI Chicago Women’s Leadership Initiative Features WBEZ’s Natalie Moore for the Second Session in its “Equity In Real Estate” Series
ULI Chicago Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI) hosted the second installment of their 3-part series titled “Equity In Real Estate,” focusing on racial equity in the real estate industry. Natalie Moore, WBEZ host and Author of The South Side: A Portrait of Chicago and American Segregation, shared her experiences and observations on the causes and consequences of segregation in communities throughout Chicago. Ms. Moore was interviewed by Collete English Dixon, Co-Chair of ULI Chicago’s Women’s Leadership Initiative Advisory Board and Executive Director of the Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate at Roosevelt University. Ms. Moore and Ms. English Dixon related their common childhood experiences growing up in segregated areas, and their realization that the conditions they witnessed and lived were not the result of organic forces but were the direct result of deliberate policy decisions. Ms. Moore noted the importance of intentionality in producing a neighborhood’s racial homogeneity or diversity. Decisions to starve an entire school district of resources, coupled with the real estate brokerage industry’s block-busting and fear-mongering, directly lead to large-scale white flight. Ms. Moore pointed to integrated neighborhoods like Beverly where residents actively resisted the brokerage industry, to demonstrate the positive impact of intentionality.
Ms. Moore acknowledged the delicate balance real estate developers face when bringing new investment to communities of color. She noted that new investment is criticized for making existing communities feel like it is “not for them,” leading to displacement. She encouraged developers to engage in conversation with communities to understand how new investment can be additive. She noted that preserving and promoting affordable housing is only part of the answer, but that it could also be as simple as selecting retail businesses that better reflect the existing community’s preferences and resources. Ms. Moore and Ms. English Dixon agreed that, to maintain its status as a world-class city, Chicago needs to embrace its incredible diversity and promote the positive attributes of its existing communities.
The third, and final, event in the series will be held on December 8th and will feature Morgan Malone, Director of Development & External Affairs for Farpoint Development, and Ciere Boatright, Vice President, Real Estate & Inclusion for Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives. Morgan and Ciere will discuss “Resisting in Place through Equitable Real Estate Development.” Registration is available online.
