Professor John Mogk
"Urban involvement allows a professor to bring current issues into the classroom and to expose the students to the practical aspects of everyday problems."
Why did you specialize in urban law and policy? My interest in urban law and policy was kindled as a young lawyer in New York City practicing with the Wall Street law firm of Shearman and Sterling in the mid-1960s. Part of my responsibility was to assist in the firm's work of facilitating the redevelopment of the Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhood in Brooklyn. The project was exciting and challenging. As I later came to understand, it necessarily involved the fields of law, economics and politics and, in that particular case, leaders in each. When I was offered a faculty position at Wayne Law, which was beginning to focus upon urban issues after the Detroit civil disturbance of 1967, I decided to transfer my interest in urban law home to the city in which I was raised and whose problems seemed to be second to none.
What courses do you teach at Wayne Law? Do you have a favorite? I teach courses in Property, Land Use Planning and Development, Local Government Law and a seminar in Urban Housing and Community Development. While I enjoy teaching each of these subjects, the seminar brings them all together, making it my favorite.
You've had a great deal of involvement in initiatives to address critical urban and public issues over the past four decades. Can you tell us briefly about your experiences and how you became involved? Shortly after I joined the Wayne Law faculty, I was asked to assist Governor William G. Milliken in launching Michigan's industrial housing program. This assignment lead to appointments by the Governor to decentralize the Detroit Public Schools, join the Detroit School Board to fill a recall vacancy and Chair the Governor's task force addressing regional problems common to Detroit and its suburbs. In each case, students participated where possible. More recently, I have assisted in the development of Detroit's Empowerment Zone Plan, addressing the abandoned downtown building problem and replacing Tiger Stadium. Beginning in 1999, I chaired the Board of Habitat for Humanity Detroit for seven years to help the organization avoid insolvency and build it to one of the leading Habitat urban affiliates in the nation. A number of law students and those from other departments of the University became actively involved in building Habitat homes for families in Detroit seeking to own a decent and affordable place to live.
How do you share this kind of experience with students in the classroom? Urban involvement allows a professor to bring current issues into the classroom and to expose the students to the practical aspects of everyday problems. The urban field is dynamic and changing, as exemplified by today's subprime lending crisis. Students are encouraged to examine existing law and policy in light of actual conditions facing society and to evaluate changes needed to improve community life.
It seems as though urban law and policy is at the core of many of today's most pressing issues. What do you see as the future of the field? The field will grow in importance, given the critical issues with which the nation is faced in addressing poverty, poor housing and crime, controlling sprawl on the urban fringe, promoting economic development and protecting the natural environment.
What kinds of career opportunities are available to those specializing in the field? As with most fields of law there are many. Law firms and governmental agencies need lawyers knowledgeable in the urban planning and development area. The real estate industry is a big part of the American economy and lawyers play and important role in assuring the industry's success. Graduates who choose to enter the world of politics or aspire to the bench will find that their background in urban law and policy will provide a valuable grounding on issues that they will be called upon to address.
For those law students willing to devote their talents to making America a better and more just society, a focus on urban law and policy will well prepare them to make significant contributions to their community.