The Real Estate Center at DePaul University will host its 2026 Fall Forum—Solving the Unsolvable: Market Solutions to Deliver Better Housing Outcomes. The conference, targeting professionals in real estate finance, investment, development and community development, among others, will focus primarily on market solutions that are workable, locally and in jurisdictions across the country.
The Fall Forum will be held on October 22, 2026, from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm, at the Union League Club of Chicago, 76 E. Monroe St. The program is made possible through the generous support of H.P. Sori, DePaul MBA (2020).
The full-day program will feature a mix of keynote speakers, breakout panel discussions, and an interactive workshop that will connect insights, perspectives and new ideas in search of workable solutions for the future. DePaul has secured speakers from Illinois, Texas, Florida, and Canada coming together to help tackle the critical issue of solving housing affordability.
Constance Freeman, Founder, Moderne Ventures, will kick off the conference with a keynote presentation exploring how disruptive technologies, including AI, can be leveraged to help address housing affordability.
Housing affordability isn’t solely about the concerns of low-income earners. More than 49% of renters earning $45,000–$74,999 are cost-burdened. That amount is double what it was in 2001 and nearly 10 points since the pandemic began. [Source]
“This isn’t just a low-income, affordable housing problem,” said Reagan Pratt, Director of the Real Estate Center at DePaul University. “It’s a more widespread housing affordability issue. Cost burdens are significant and the supply/policy responses aren’t keeping pace with market needs. This is true for both ownership and rental housing. There are too few choices available in too many markets. And this has massive economic and social consequences.”
Pratt said that convening a forum that covers the broader issues associated with housing affordability is intended to help elevate potential solutions. “The problem is well documented,” he added. “Solutions require economic creativity and political will.”
The Forum will also feature a luncheon keynote speaker to be announced shortly.
Industry experts will lead and participate in interactive panels on a range of topics including:
- Macro trends in housing supply – a look at how we arrived at the current state and what the trends portend for the future.
- AI, technology and affordability – a discussion on the new ideas and technologies that may assist in solving an intractable challenge.
- Adaptive reuse – an exploration of the repurposing of office buildings and other assets to learn if it provides a meaningful solution or is a drop in the ocean.
- Big-A affordability – understanding the implications of doing more with less.
- Institutional capital/impact investing and philanthropy – an examination of how institutions view the investment potential of affordable housing as both a profit-making asset class and as a target for making impact investments.
- State initiatives supporting supply – comparing and contrasting the efforts of three states—California, Florida, and Illinois—what is working and what isn’t and how can programs be customized for better results.
The Forum will conclude with an interactive workshop with attendees to synthesize the insights, perspectives and best concepts of the day to develop potential market solutions that can deliver better housing outcomes. From that workshop, led by Mary Ludgin of Heitman Financial, the Real Estate Center at DePaul University will produce a Working Paper to highlight reasonable paths toward greater affordability.
The Fall Forum will conclude with a cocktail reception allowing attendees to network with speakers and other attendees, and further discuss concepts advanced throughout the day.
Confirmed speakers, in addition to Constance Freeman and Mary Ludgin, include Marissa Button; Wendy Waters; Jay Lybik, Continental Properties; Keith Harris, Avanath Capital Management; and senior-level housing professionals from JP Morgan, Nuveen, DLA Piper, Pew Charitable Trusts and the Prime Group.
Registration for the Fall Forum is $100 and can be completed online.
The Fall Forum has been made possible, in large part, through a special fund established by H.P. Sori, a seasoned professional with 30 years of experience in the field of commercial real estate and finance. Sori is an alumnus of DePaul University earning his MBA in Finance in 2000. He is firmly committed to driving positive change and innovation in the industry. The Fall Forum represents his ongoing efforts to leverage his expertise and resources for the benefit of clients, industry stakeholders and the community.
