“It is the policy of the United States, within constitutional limitations, to provide fair housing throughout the United States.” Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S..C. 3601.
This seminar will study the federal Fair Housing Act (as well as similar state and local laws) and provide a perspective, both current and historical, on housing discrimination and how effectively fair housing laws have met their stated goals and have addressed discrimination in housing sales and rental, mortgage lending, and appraisal markets. This course will examine the unmet challenge of racial integration, with a special emphasis on the Detroit metropolitan area, which for thirty years has been one of the most racially segregated areas in this country. The seminar will consider ways in which discrimination distorts the marketplace and reinforces inequalities based on race, color, religion, national origin, gender, familial status, and other classes. We will also look at housing issues that are specific to the mentally and physically disabled, as well as the effects of sprawl on the environment and our lives.