Dear Alumni,

I was indeed very happy to see so many friends during the Reunion weekend.  I hope you enjoyed
yourself as much as I did and felt that your time spent in Chapel Hill was informative and fun.   For
those who couldn't attend, the following should give you a window on the Reunion events and provide
reasons to attend next time.

      Best to All,

      Emil


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Annual Alumni Association Meeting re-cap
Sue Snaman Edwards (MRP '84)

Alumni dozen loyal alumni came out for the DCRP Alumni Association meeting on Sunday
morning, September 24, 2006.  Great representation by the classes '62 to '72.  Everyone was
greatly energized by keynote speaker Martin Eakes as well as the concurrent panel presentations
on Hurricane Katrina and predatory lending.

Department Chair Emil Malizia provided an informal "state of the department" report including
efforts and challenges for faculty recruitment and retention (it's a good time to have a PhD in
Planning); student recruitment; status of all accounts under the DCRP Trust Fund(s) and the
historically correct paint color for New East.   Read Sue's complete report


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Under the big top… the DCRP 60th Alumni Reunion Weekend’s festivities officially started off with
a reception in the Reunion Tent behind New East.  What a great crowd, with alumni from every
decade in attendance mixing with current faculty and students.  It was great to see alumni walking
throughout the building, visiting the Chapin Library, and discussing student posters on display.
The reception could have easily gone on well into the night, but Martin Eakes was waiting…

For more event pictures, please visit shutterfly for the DCRP 60th Reunion albums:
Friday - http://share.evite.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Aas3DVs2as2Lwg&cid=EVTSTEMODTX
Saturday - http://share.evite.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Aas3DVs2as2Lyo


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Race and Wealth in America - A 25 Year Journey for Social Justice
Martin Eakes, Siler Distinguished Lecturer

In front of an audience of 200 alumni and guests, Martin Eakes delivered a stirring keynote address.
Chronicling his upbringing in the desegregated South, Eakes shared his experiences in a racially
mixed neighborhood where he witnessed first-hand the disparity of opportunity between the haves
and the have nots.

Eakes’ life experiences created the fire in his belly that led him on the journey to creating Self-Help.
Though the use of brief video clips and the re-telling of his powerful personal stories, Eakes led the
audience through his vision of supporting entrepreneurs and creating home ownership opportunities.
Owning assets can enable a family to send a child to college, start a business, or weather a financial
crisis. In closing, Eakes stressed the importance in getting involved and removing barriers that unfairly
prevent people from becoming active members of society.  Eakes also warned the audience of the
potential threats facing our communities as millions of home mortgages face potential foreclosure.

Unfortunately we were unable to record the event; however you can visit the following link to hear
an audio recording of a similar speech given at Duke this past summer:
http://www.fuqua.duke.edu/centers/case/about/videoarchive.htm

More information: The Robert and Helen Siler Distinguished Lecturer Series


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Urban Land Use Planning – Evolution through Five Editions
Featured authors Dave Godschalk, Ed Kaiser, and Philip Berke, moderated by Daniel Rodríguez.

Urban Land Use Planning provides authoritative answers to the perennial question in urban planning:
How can we create a liveable, sustainable future?  This fifth edition of the “bible” of urban planning
presents a complete, up-to-date, and holistic methodology for creating and enacting plans to reach
those goals, deftly balancing the definitive discussion of current practices with a vision of what land
use planning should become.  For more book information and how to order

ULUP Presentation: Framing the Land Use Planning Process (PDF) - Philip Berke

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Predatory Lending Panel – North Carolina is an acknowledged leader in addressing predatory
lending.  Since introducing anti-predatory lending legislation, North Carolina has seen a dramatic
reduction in abusive sub-prime lending and refinancing, without restricting access to or increasing
the cost of loans to borrowers with imperfect credit.  Siler Lecturer Martin Eakes, former DCRP
Chair Michael Stegman, and Community Reinvestment Association President Peter Skillern
(MRP ‘91) examined current legislative proposals.  Moderated by Roberto Quercia.

Panel Presentation: Home Equity & Other Differences in the Wealth of a Sample Of Low-and
Moderate-Income Homeowners: A Work in Progress (PDF) - Michael Stegman


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Hurricane Katrina Panel – What urban planning lessons have we learned in the aftermath of
Katrina and recent North Carolina hurricanes?  Key issues relating to land use and reliance on
protective barriers were explored in the context of experiences in New Orleans.  Philip Berke and
David Moreau led discussions using material that they have published on the subject.  Although
North Carolina is exposed to nearly the same risk of hurricanes as New Orleans, a much broader
array of mitigation options exists in this state than in New Orleans.  Reflecting on his extensive
work in the field, David Brower led a discussion on the options North Carolina has chosen.
Moderated by David Moreau.

Panel Presentation: New Orleans: Resilient City or American Pompeii? (PDF) - Philip Berke


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Alumni enjoyed a bus/walking tour of areas that have been recently developed in accordance with
the Carolina Campus Master Plan.  The tour highlighted efforts to preserve historic character,
mitigate environmental impacts, and incorporate LEED high performance buildings.

More campus information: Carolina Campus Master Plan , Virtual Museum of UNC


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Saturday evening, alumni gathered at UNC’s Kenan Center for a social hour, followed by
department presentations and dinner.  Emil delivered a brief department report, were he took the
opportunity to recognize Shirley Weiss (MRP ’58) and her many contributions to the department.  
Weiss, a pioneer and leading scholar in central city revitalization and large scale development
planning, served as Associate Research Director of the Center for Urban and Regional Studies
and Acting Director of Women’s Studies.

In 1992, Weiss and her husband, Dr. Charles Weiss, established UNC’s Urban Livability Program,
providing support for graduate fellowships, a resident scholar, essay competitions and a special
collection in the Chapin Planning Library.  In 2003, Weiss became DCRP’s first recipient of the
University’s Distinguished Alumni Award.  This prestigious award is celebrated each year on
University Day and serves as a reminder of the university's beginnings and also highlights UNC's
alumni contributions to society.