Discussion Groups provide an in-depth discussion of a topic by a small group of invited discussants selected in advance by the Annual Meeting Program Committee. In addition to the invited discussants, additional discussants were selected through a Call for Participation. There will be limited seating for audience members to observe the discussion groups on a first-come, first-served basis.
The
evolution of community economic development (CED) over the past several decades
has witnessed dramatic growth in scale and complexity. New approaches to
development and related lawyering, and to philosophies underlying these
approaches, challenge us to reimagine the framework of CED. From the early days
of community development corporations to today’s sophisticated tools of finance
and organization, this evolution reflects “why law matters” in pursuit of
economic justice and opportunity. Change is visible in new approaches to
enterprise development and novel grassroots initiatives that comprise a virtual
“sharing economy,” as well as intensified advocacy around low-wage work and
efforts to contain runaway housing markets against a backdrop of stressed
municipal budgets. There has also been a parallel evolution in the legal
academy—the maturing of CED programs and expanded attention in scholarship and
teaching.
The goal of
this discussion group is to give further definition to CED at a fluid moment in
its history and to assess an array of new strategies in the field. Are we in a
new post-CED era? What are its primary features? Why, how, and to what extent
do law and law schools matter in CED?