By Ryan Kramer, Newswire Intern 

Last week, Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval visited Xavier to speak to the community during the Affordable Housing Crisis Symposium. The event, sponsored by the Stephen S. Smith Center within the Williams College of Business, was open to the public. 

Associate Director of the Smith Center, Dr. Rachael LaRose and Provost and Chief Academic Officer, Dr. Rachel Chrastel, gave brief introductions for the Smith Center and the expectations for the event before Mayor Pureval took the stage. 

Pureval first identified the scope of the affordable housing crisis, labeling it as one of the “triple threats for our generation,” along with climate change and managing the growth of artificial intelligence. 

At the moment, Pureval’s main goal in Cincinnati is trying to incentivize the private market to lower housing prices but explained that this is limited by the Not in My Backyard (NIMBY) movement, where residents fight the construction of affordable housing complexes near their homes. 

Briefly speaking on the construction of non-housing facilities, Pureval adamantly affirmed that no data centers will be built in Cincinnati while he is mayor. 

After Pureval left the stage, a panel of experts in various aspects of the housing field began a Q&A session where questions were asked from both students and the public audience. 

“On a personal level, every one of our students will be affected, either directly or indirectly, by rent prices, housing prices, zoning laws and property taxes,” Mariani said. 

Following the panel, the second keynote speaker, Dr. Bryan Caplan, began his address.  Caplan, a professor of economics at George Mason University, advocated for a release on regulations to let the principles of supply and demand fix the issues Cincinnati is facing.  Through Laissez-Faire methods, Caplan argued that the housing crisis would solve itself. 

After the event’s conclusion, its coordinators reflected on what made it a success. “This year’s symposium was one of our best attended in terms of both students and community members,” Mariani said. “The success is a reflection of the hard work put in by Dr. LaRose and the students who helped select the issue, choose the speakers, and organize the event.” 

Affordable housing was selected as the symposium’s topic because it connects to everyone in some way. 

 “On a personal level, every one of our students will be affected, either directly or indirectly, by rent prices, housing prices, zoning laws and property taxes,” Mariani said. 

 “I thought this year’s symposium was especially engaging because affordable housing is an issue that directly affects Cincinnati and Xavier students. The general format was similar to past symposia, with speakers presenting different perspectives on an important public-policy issue,” senior accounting major Quinn Considine said. “However, this year’s topic felt particularly practical and immediate because the discussion connected economic theory with challenges that people in our community experience every day.” 

“Even when a problem like the affordable housing crisis does not affect us directly, it still affects our communities, our friends, and our families,” senior finance major Luke Uhlman said. 

 As affordable housing becomes more divisive, the Smith Center hopes that discussions like the Symposium bring together a community from both sides of the political spectrum.