For centuries, American ideas and policies around home and land ownership have been framed by racism and colonialism. Increasingly, computation and big data have become a significant thread in this complex tapestry, leading to the challenge of digital redlining: technology practices that perpetuate and further entrench racial discrimination in housing.

To unravel these systems and replace them with something more fair requires understanding the technology, the history, and the institutions involved. It necessitates collaboration between researchers, data scientists, historians, affected communities, stakeholders, and decision-makers. As highlighted by Professor Fotini Christia, co-organizer of the Initiative on Combatting Systemic Racism (ICSR), cross-disciplinary collaboration is one of the key features of this critical research initiative.

The day-long event Beyond Fairness: Big Data, Racial Justice & Housing brought together data scientists, urban planners, activists, practitioners from both academia and industry.

Exploring the intersection of data, algorithms and AI in relation to housing insecurity, home ownership and evictions through panels and keynote speakers, we learned the value of “unusual” connections – developing interdisciplinary and cross-domain connections will help build a community that can tackle issues of housing justice from many different points of view.

Read a recap of the issues discussed at the event.

We are very interested in connecting with (local) stakeholders working on projects related to these issues. Please email a description of your project to icsr@mit.edu. If you would like to be a sponsor and support our work, please reach out to idss-engage@mit.edu.