More than 5,000 visitors to The Newtown Bee’s Facebook site have viewed all or part of the first two “Diversity Discussions” — panel-driven Facebook Live events that have engaged local law enforcement, educational, and community leaders in sometimes spirited conversations about policies, practices, and the ways Newtown is working to be more inclusive and welcoming to all.

View the latest in our Diversity Discussions series here: youtube.com

The next segment of the series will take place at 4:30 pm on Thursday, August 6, and will focus on housing. Guests will include Land Use Director George Benson, local Planning & Zoning Commission Chairman Don Mitchell, and Fair Housing Officer Kimberly Chiapetta.

This discussion comes at a time when developers and the community are working to expand the availability of workforce or affordable housing, and a growing number of state officials are calling for new measures to entice towns to build more affordable housing.

The issue was most recently highlighted in a series of articles published by The Connecticut Mirror and ProPublica showing the lengths wealthy towns have gone to to block affordable housing, and by extension the people who need it. These exclusive zoning requirements have rendered Connecticut one of the most segregated states in the nation.

Compounding the challenge, Connecticut also has the fifth highest average housing costs for homeowners in the nation — and for those renting, their costs are the tenth highest, according to US Census data.

The webcast will outline where Newtown stands among similar western Connecticut communities regarding access to housing; the ways local planning and zoning regulations impact the cost, type, and density of developments that could and do incorporate workforce housing opportunities; and the challenges Newtown and developers face creating more affordable options for those who seek to live here.

The July 9 “Diversity Discussions” featured Newtown’s Superintendent of Schools Lorrie Rodrigue along with Board of Education members Michelle Embree Ku and Rebekah Harriman-Stites. That video is posted on The Newtown Bee’s YouTube channel along with a June 18 forum featuring Newtown Police Chief James Viadero and police commissioners Joel Faxon, Scott Cicciari, Joan Plouffe, and Neil Chaudhary.

First Selectman Dan Rosenthal said that past and future guests of “Diversity Discussions,” along with every town employee and elected or appointed official, are “here to serve everybody and to be sure everybody feels they are an equal part of our community.”

“I was pleased with the first segment, and this is just a starting-off point,” Rosenthal said. “I think it helps remind the people that those who are elected or employed to serve the public are your neighbors for the most part. It also shows how to engage in local government. These folks are approachable and willing to talk. We need to celebrate that, as well, and include them in these very important conversations.”

The series was developed in partnership between The Newtown Bee and First Selectman Dan Rosenthal, who also sits in for the discussions, and is hosted by award-winning Newtown Bee Associate Editor and broadcaster John Voket.

Residents are invited to submit questions via e-mail to john@thebee.com. Please put “Diversity Discussions” in the subject line, and submit by noon on August 6.