University of Richmond Hosts Community Partners to Discuss New Reports Linking Housing Segregation and Education Inequality

UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND — The University of Richmond will host community partners from throughout the region for an event focused on the intersection between housing segregation and education inequality.

Reading Between the Lines: Zoning, Housing, and Education in the Richmond Region will be held Oct. 3 from 6-8 p.m. at the University of Richmond’s Queally Center for Admission and Career Services. The event is free and open to the public. Registration is required.

This event will showcase two new reports related to the intersection of zoning, housing affordability, and educational outcomes in the Richmond region. It is cohosted by HousingForward Virginia, Partnership for Housing Affordability, Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia (HOME), The Commonwealth Institute, VCU School of Education, VCU Research Institute for Social Equity, and the RVA Eviction Lab.

“Housing and educational segregation are closely connected with race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, and these topics are of importance to everyone,” said Tom Shields, an education and leadership studies professor at the University of Richmond and event co-organizer.

Part of the Oct. 3 event will focus on an update to the study “Confronting School and Housing Segregation in the Richmond Region: Can We Learn and Live Together?” First released in 2017, the study is frequently cited by educators, scholars, and policymakers.

“Housing segregation and education inequality are challenges that require many people working together,” said Shields. “This event is providing a unique opportunity to bring together universities, policy experts, nonprofits, private housing agencies, and citizens to discuss these issues and work together on tangible action items and solutions to promote equitable access to schools and neighborhoods.”

This event will also showcase the new Virginia Zoning Atlas, a data set that breaks down how zoning impacts what types of housing can be built within localities in the Richmond region, as well as Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads.

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