NATIONAL PUBLIC HOUSING MUSEUM PRESENTS A CONVERSATION WITH HARVARD ECONOMIST RAJ CHETTY

NATIONAL PUBLIC HOUSING MUSEUM PRESENTS A CONVERSATION WITH HARVARD ECONOMIST RAJ CHETTY


Chetty Joins Housing Leaders Marisa Novara and Salin Geevarghese for Conversation on Economic Mobility and Housing Justice 


The National Public Housing Museum today announced a public conversation with Harvard economist Raj Chetty, focusing on new research on the long-term effects of mixed-income redevelopment on children who grew up in public housing. Raj Chetty in Conversation on Economic Mobility and Housing Justice takes place Monday, October 26, 2026, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Student Center East at the University of Illinois Chicago, 750 S. Halsted St. Admission is free, but space is limited and advance registration is encouraged. For details and registration, visit www.nphm.org/event/raj-chetty-in-conversation.


The conversation follows the January 2026 publication of Creating High-Opportunity Neighborhoods: Evidence from the HOPE VI Program, a study by Chetty and Opportunity Insights, a nonpartisan research to policy lab based at Harvard University, examining how the redevelopment of large public housing communities into mixed-income neighborhoods affected children’s long-term trajectories. The timely conversation will include the pitfalls and possibilities of mixed income communities, the redress of racial and economic segregation and the future of housing justice.


The federal HOPE VI program invested $17 billion to revitalize 262 distressed public housing developments across the country into mixed-income communities. The study found that the children who grew up in revitalized public housing earned more as adults, were more likely to attend college and boys were less likely to be incarcerated than those in comparable developments that were not revitalized. A key driver for these gains, according to the study, was stronger social connections with higher-income neighbors who live nearby.


“HOPE VI remains enormously consequential, yet like so many public policies it can seem abstract or distantly related to the shape of our daily lives, particularly to the people most impacted. The National Public Housing Museum strives to make national policies like this more accessible and accountable to the public” said Dr. Lisa Yun Lee, Chief Curator and Executive Director of the National Public Housing Museum. “We’re excited to host Raj Chetty, particularly because of our emphasis on storytelling and the importance of shifting mainstream narratives about the most marginalized people. We look forward to engaging in a conversation about how this study, and big data about HOPE VI can inform ongoing efforts for housing justice and housing futures.”


Leading up to Chetty’s appearance, the Museum will also host a Collective Study Hour series of participatory reading sessions at noon on October 2, 9, and 18. These sessions will offer participants an opportunity to discuss the key findings and implications from the research in a facilitated, small group environment.


On October 26, Chetty will be joined by Marisa Novara, vice president of community impact at The Chicago Community Trust and former commissioner of the Chicago Department of Housing, and Salin Geevarghese, president and CEO of SGG Insight and a former deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development during the Obama administration.


“Where children grow up has a profound effect on their chances of economic success,” said Raj Chetty, Professor of Economics at Harvard University and Director of Opportunity Insights. “Our research shows that HOPE VI expanded opportunity by connecting public housing  residents with the broader community, allowing for more relationships to form among residents from different backgrounds. I look forward to discussing these findings in Chicago and learning from the experiences of public housing residents, practitioners and policymakers.”


The event is presented as part of Transformation, the National Public Housing Museum’s ongoing program series responding to Chicago’s Plan for Transformation.


The program is presented by the National Public Housing Museum in collaboration with The Chicago Community Trust and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, with additional support from the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials and the Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy at the University of Illinois Chicago.

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