SEATTLE, June 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- As millennials, America's largest generation, enter the housing market en masse they are making their presence felt as an influential force in the housing sector. Now, builders, urban planners and policymakers are left to answer a host of questions about where millennials will live, what types of housing they will prefer and how they will shape their cities and neighborhoods.

As urban and suburban landscapes change, how can developers and planners find creative ways to build affordable housing that also engages residents of all generations? And, after a three-decade period of falling mortgage rates, how will the market respond to rates that are beginning to creep upward again?

To answer these questions, Zillow, the leading real estate information marketplace, will host a half-day event entitled "The Big Picture: A Longer Term Perspective on Housing," Thursday, Jul. 24 at the Knight Conference Center at the Newseum in Washington, D.C.

"Now that we have fully emerged from the housing recession, it's time to look to the future," said Zillow® Chief Economist Dr. Stan Humphries. "As the oldest millennials enter their early 30s, it's essential that everyone from builders to policymakers understand what makes this generation tick, particularly as we transition into a rising interest rate environment and our communities continue to evolve."

This will be the fifth housing forum hosted by Zillow. Viewers interested in participating in the event should submit their questions using the hashtag #HousingFuture. The forum will be live-streamed on Zillow.com. 

Full details of the Washington, D.C. event are below, and guests can register for this free forum here. The event is open to the press.  More information and updates about speakers can be found at www.zillow.com/education/housingforum/july2014.

The Big Picture: A Longer Term Perspective on Housing
Jul. 24, 2014, 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. (EDT)
The Knight Conference Center at the Newseum
555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington D.C.

Top policymakers and housing experts will debate and discuss the big ideas and critical issues that will shape housing in the 21^st century. Moderated conversations will address the following topics:  

How Millennials are Redefining Housing
A look at millennials' housing preferences and the hurdles they face when it comes to home ownership.

Are We All New Urbanists Now?
A discussion on how new urbanism is redefining suburban America and how growing cities should think about building sufficient housing capacity.

Will Mortgage Lock-in Put a Damper on Residential Mobility?
A conversation addressing how rising mortgage rates will affect housing demand, and whether the millions of homeowners locked in at today's historically low rates will be willing and able to move as rates climb.

Speakers include:

• Wendell Cox, Principal, Demographia
• Michael Fratantoni, Chief Economist, Senior Vice President of Research and Industry Technology, Mortgage Bankers Association
• Edward Glaeser, Fred and Eleanor Glimp Professor of Economics, Harvard
• Stan Humphries, Chief Economist, Zillow
• Dowell Myers, Professor, Sol Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California
• Diana Olick, Real Estate Correspondent, CNBC
• Catherine Rampell, Opinion Columnist, The Washington Post
• Spencer Rascoff, Chief Executive Officer, Zillow
• Christopher Thornberg, Founding Partner, Beacon Economics
• Nick Timiraos, National Economics Correspondent, The Wall Street Journal
• Joseph Tracy, Executive Vice President and Senior Advisor to the President, Federal Reserve Bank of New York
• Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of Research, National Association of Realtors

About Zillow, Inc.
Zillow, Inc. (NASDAQ: Z) operates the largest home-related marketplaces on mobile and the Web, with a complementary portfolio of brands and products that help people find vital information about homes, and connect with the best local professionals. In addition, Zillow operates an industry-leading economics and analytics bureau led by Zillow's Chief Economist Dr. Stan Humphries. Dr. Humphries and his team of economists and data analysts produce extensive housing data and research covering more than 450 markets at Zillow Real Estate Research. Zillow also sponsors the quarterly Zillow Home Price Expectations Survey, which asks more than 100 leading economists, real estate experts and investment and market strategists to predict the path of the Zillow Home Value Index over the next five years. Zillow also sponsors the bi-annual Zillow Housing Confidence Index (ZHCI) which measures consumer confidence in local housing markets, both currently and over time. The Zillow, Inc. portfolio includes Zillow.com®, Zillow Mobile, Zillow Mortgage Marketplace, Zillow Rentals, Zillow Digs®, Postlets®, Diverse Solutions®, Agentfolio®, Mortech®, HotPads™ and StreetEasy®. The company is headquartered in Seattle.

Zillow.com, Zillow, Postlets, Mortech, Diverse Solutions, StreetEasy, Agentfolio and Digs are registered trademarks of Zillow, Inc. HotPads is a trademark of Zillow, Inc.

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SOURCE Zillow, Inc.