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As you may remember, our first season explored the history of three African American neighborhoods in Cincinnati. We explored the times when those neighborhoods were thriving — and when disinvestment instigated many of the socio-economic challenges these communities continue to face today.

But one piece we didn't explore was how institutional investors have contributed to these communities’ affordability and housing challenges.

After we aired the season, Dr. Hayden Shelby, an Assistant Professor of Planning at the University of Cincinnati, reached out saying she was teaching a class on housing systems and institutional investors — and, instead of papers, she was asking her students to make a podcast. As part of Urbanist Media — the community preservation not-for-profit that produces Urban Roots — we've been helping Dr. Shelby, guiding her and her students to develop a new podcast, If Walls Could Talk.

In this conversation, we sat down with Dr. Hayden Shelby to learn more about the issue of institutional investors broadly and how they specifically operate in Cincinnati.

Dr. Shelby and her class will be hosting two community conversations about institutional investors (details below). We hope as many people as possible in Cincinnati take part in these conversations — it’s time to collectively create the solutions Cinci neighborhoods need to curb the negative impact of institutional investors and allow these communities to, once again, thrive.

• In-Person: Saturday, November 12th from 9-1 AM at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning Building.
• Zoom: Friday, November 18th from 2-4 PM on Zoom (register via link or email shelbyhm@uc.edu)