Showing papers in "Housing Policy Debate in 1997"
TL;DR: The authors synthesize findings from a wide range of empirical research into how neighborhoods affect families and children and lay out a conceptual framework for understanding how neighborhoods may affect people at different life stages.
Abstract: This article synthesizes findings from a wide range of empirical research into how neighborhoods affect families and children. It lays out a conceptual framework for understanding how neighborhoods may affect people at different life stages. It then identifies methodological challenges, summarizes past research findings, and suggests priorities for future work. Despite a growing body of evidence that neighborhood conditions play a role in shaping individual outcomes, serious methodological challenges remain that suggest some caution in interpreting this evidence. Moreover, no consensus emerges about which neighborhood characteristics affect which outcomes, or about what types of families may be most influenced by neighborhood conditions. Finally, existing studies provide little empirical evidence about the causal mechanisms through which neighborhood environment influences individual outcomes. To be useful to policy makers, future empirical research should tackle the critical question of how and ...
937 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the relative performance of housing programs in terms of neighborhood quality was evaluated using neighborhood characteristics surrounding assisted housing units and assessed the direction of assisted housing policy in light of this information, concluding that project-based assistance programs do little to improve the quality of recipients' neighborhoods relative to those of welfare households.
Abstract: This article evaluates the relative performance of housing programs in terms of neighborhood quality. We profile neighborhood characteristics surrounding assisted housing units and assess the direction of assisted housing policy in light of this information. The analysis relies on a housing census database we developed that identifies the type and census tract location of assisted housing units—that is, public housing, developments assisted under the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Section 515 Rural Rental Housing Direct Loan Program, the low‐income housing tax credit, certificates and vouchers, and state rental assistance programs. We conclude that project‐based assistance programs do little to improve the quality of recipients’ neighborhoods relative to those of welfare households and, in the case of public housing, appear to make things significantly worse. The certificate and voucher programs, however, appear to reduce the probability that families will live in the most econo...
286 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors suggest ways to better design, conduct, and interpret evaluations of the effects of housing mobility programs on participants, with emphasis on how to isolate neighborhood effects, and suggest that more research is needed that looks at residents' social ties and uses mixed-methods approaches.
Abstract: This article suggests ways to better design, conduct, and interpret evaluations of the effects of housing mobility programs on participants, with emphasis on how to isolate neighborhood effects. It reviews earlier critiques of neighborhood effects research and discusses the key assumptions of housing mobility programs—about the benefits of affluent neighbors, the spatial organization of opportunity for the urban poor, and the meanings of “neighborhood” to residents, researchers, and policy makers. Studying mobility contexts, especially in suburban areas, offers special challenges to researchers. More research is needed that looks at residents’ social ties and uses mixed-methods approaches. Ethnographic data, in particular, would enhance the validity of the quantitative data that now dominate studies of neighborhood effects. Adding substantially to what we know about the processes or mechanisms—the “how” of neighborhood effects—mixedmethods approaches would also make research much more useful to policy makers and program managers.
271 citations
TL;DR: The authors examined the preferences hypothesis by using recent interview data from metropolitan Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, and Los Angeles and found that whites' willingness to move into a neighborhood is inversely related to the density of blacks living there.
Abstract: Three hypotheses seek to explain the persistence of residential segregation between blacks and whites in the United States: economic differentials, discrimination in housing and lending markets, and neighborhood preferences. The preferences hypothesis posits that both races wish to live in racially homogeneous neighborhoods. This article examines the preferences hypothesis by using recent interview data from metropolitan Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, and Los Angeles. Race continues to be significant in the residential decision‐making process. Whites’ willingness to move into a neighborhood is inversely related to the density of blacks living there. Blacks prefer integrated neighborhoods, but ones with a substantial representation of blacks. Preferences differ significantly from one metropolis to another, with Detroit representing the extreme. In the other three metropolises, the preferences of blacks and whites do overlap sufficiently to offer hope for a decline in segregation, provided that the infl...
205 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors introduced and analyzed findings of a Fannie Mae Foundation-sponsored panel on gated communities held at the 1997 Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning annual conference.
Abstract: Gated communities—enclaves of homes surrounded by walls, often with security guards—are becoming increasingly popular in America. This article introduces and analyzes findings of a Fannie Mae Foundation—sponsored panel on gated communities held at the 1997 Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning annual conference. A key finding is that many people choose to reside in gated communities because they believe that such places reduce risk, ranging from the mundane (e.g., unwanted social exchanges) to the high stakes (e.g., declining home values). In many ways, gated communities deliver what they promise, by providing an effective defense against daily intrusions. However, some of their benefits entail a high social cost. A sense of community within gated communities comes at the expense of a larger identity with the region outside. Gated communities manifest and reinforce an inward‐focused community culture, where the tension between the individual and society tilt toward self‐interest.
130 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine the characteristics of 14 stable racially and ethnically diverse urban communities in 9 U.S. cities and point to policies that could strengthen these communities and encourage the growth of more diverse neighborhoods in American cities.
Abstract: We examine the characteristics of 14 stable racially and ethnically diverse urban communities in 9 U.S. cities and point to policies that could strengthen these communities and encourage the growth of more diverse neighborhoods in American cities. The cities examined are Chicago; Denver; Houston; Memphis, TN; Milwaukee; New York; Oakland, CA; Philadelphia; and Seattle. University researchers and community leaders in each city collaborated on the research for this project. We identify two types of stable diverse communities, “self‐conscious” and “laissez‐faire,” which have evolved for different reasons and with different characteristics. Stable diverse communities will not just happen, but they can be influenced by a number of policy recommendations stemming from our research. These include helping individuals and organizations take leadership roles in their communities, strengthening and enforcing fair housing and antidiscrimination laws, earmarking economic resources to encourage neighborhood di...
99 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe the population forces that caused U.S. metropolitan areas to grow rapidly after 1940 but caused falling population in many large older cities, and why the basic processes that generated the spatial growth and development of American metropolitan areas have also undermined the fiscal strength of many older central cities and inner-ring suburbs.
Abstract: This article describes the population forces that caused U.S. metropolitan areas to grow rapidly after 1940 but caused falling population in many large older cities. It shows why the basic processes that generated the spatial growth and development of American metropolitan areas have also undermined the fiscal strength of many older central cities and inner‐ring suburbs. By concentrating low‐income households in inner‐core neighborhoods, these processes create undesirable conditions that motivate economically viable households and firms to move to surrounding suburbs and not move back. Three strategies have been suggested for improving these conditions: major structural reform of metropolitan institutions, limited reform of big‐city governments, and community development of inner‐core areas. The first is the most capable of changing the dynamics causing decline, but it lacks political support because it would require the majority of metropolitan residents to sacrifice some benefits they gain from...
99 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine the experiences of New Jersey and California, two states where IH has been applied frequently over an extended period, and conclude that IH can and should be part of an overall affordable housing strategy but that it is unlikely to become the core of such a strategy.
Abstract: Many people have argued that inclusionary housing (IH) is a desirable land use strategy to address lower‐income housing needs and to further the geographic dispersal of the lower‐income population. In an attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of IH, this article examines the experiences of New Jersey and California, two states where IH has been applied frequently over an extended period. While the concept of regional “fair share” is central to both states’ experiences, the origins of the programs, their applications, and their evolutions are quite dissimilar. IH originated in New Jersey from the famous Mount Laurel cases and in California from housing affordability crises and a legislatively mandated housing element. The experiences of both states indicate that IH can and should be part of an overall affordable housing strategy but that it is unlikely to become the core of such a strategy.
95 citations
TL;DR: The authors explored the spatial character of metropolitan Portland in the 1990s, summarized the politics of regional planning, examined weaknesses in the Portland approach, and offered suggestions for other metropolitan areas, concluding that many of Portland's accomplishments center on urban design, but that the region's most distinguishing characteristic is its attention to political process.
Abstract: Portland, OR, is often cited as an example of successful regional governance and planning. The metropolitan area appears to match many of the precepts of the popular “compact city” model of urban growth and to demonstrate the capacity of local and state government to shape growing metropolitan regions. Given this reputation, it is important to evaluate the relevance of the Portland experience for other communities, distinguishing unique local circumstances from generalizable characteristics. This analysis explores the spatial character of metropolitan Portland in the 1990s, summarizes the politics of regional planning, examines weaknesses in the Portland approach, and offers suggestions for other metropolitan areas. The study finds that many of Portland's accomplishments center on urban design, but that the region's most distinguishing characteristic is its attention to political process. The discussion concludes with suggestions about the value of extensive civic discourse, incremental policy ma...
77 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the U.S. Census Bureau's 1980 and 1990 Public Use Microdata Samples and more recent Current Population Surveys showed that the dominant trend in residential movement among most population subgroups is still toward the suburbs.
Abstract: The huge population losses that characterized many older, larger U.S. cities during the 1960s and 1970s slowed and in some cases ceased during the 1980s and early 1990s. Periodic media reports of neighborhood turnarounds, commercial revitalization, and improvements in housing and the quality of life in selected inner‐city subareas have been taken as signs that central cities are retaining middle‐class residents and even attracting some back from the suburbs. Analysis of metropolitan household migration patterns based on the U.S. Census Bureau's 1980 and 1990 Public Use Microdata Samples and more recent Current Population Surveys shows that the dominant trend in residential movement among most population subgroups is still toward the suburbs. While not discounting reports of central‐city neighborhood turnarounds and selective demographic revitalization, our findings imply that those improvements are limited and that a widespread back‐to‐the‐city movement is not likely in the foreseeable future.
75 citations
TL;DR: The authors explored target marketing as a means to identify which middle-income suburbanites may relocate to central cities, and found that the most targetable populations reside near central cities and lead urban lifestyles.
Abstract: This article explores target marketing as a means to identify which middle‐income suburbanites may relocate to central cities. The most targetable populations reside near central cities and lead urban lifestyles. We term such people “suburban urbanites.” Geodemography, a method combining population and location, is used to classify suburban urbanites using data from Claritas Inc., a target marketer. Claritas divides the nation's neighborhoods into lifestyle clusters by linking population density to demographic and consumptive patterns. A case study of metropolitan Washington, DC, illustrates how target marketing works. We find that more than half the region's middle‐class, Claritas‐defined urbanites live outside the District of Columbia. Thus, a large market of potential city dwellers lives in Washington's suburbs. Target marketing enhances the statistical approaches traditionally used in policy making and may help cities understand and develop their comparative advantages.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine the causal linkages that produce the expected benefits of bringing back, or retaining, middle-income households in the central city and conclude that the number of households in a given area must exceed a certain threshold for significant benefits to accrue.
Abstract: This article looks at the two primary expected benefits of efforts to bring back, or retain, middle‐income households in the central city: (1) improved fiscal conditions caused by increasing the tax base and (2) decreased socioeconomic isolation of central‐city low‐income households. We examine the causal linkages reputed to produce these two benefits in light of the relatively limited relevant theoretical and empirical research. Although stressing that this work is only tentative and intended to be provocative, we cautiously conclude that thresholds matter. That is, it is likely that the number of middle‐income households in a given area must exceed a certain threshold for significant benefits to accrue. The geographic scale of this area, the threshold that applies, and the time needed for benefits to appear depend on the particular causal linkage at issue. In the last section, we derive implications for research and policy evaluation.
TL;DR: The current housing system in Canada is described, focusing particularly on the various mechanisms still available for providing affordable housing, and the impact these changes may have on low‐ and moderate‐income households in Canada.
Abstract: This article describes the current housing system in Canada, focusing particularly on the various mechanisms still available for providing affordable housing. Beginning with an overview of the Canadian housing system, it provides a brief history of Canadian housing policy and program initiatives instrumental in developing the inventory of affordable housing available today. Current practices and procedures in private lending for affordable housing are highlighted. A discussion of current initiatives available to provide affordable housing follows, with a focus on the role of government, the third sector, and new partnership arrangements implemented to encourage more affordable housing. The conclusion highlights recent changes, the current state of the affordable housing sector, and the impact these changes may have on low‐ and moderate‐income households in Canada.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that public housing authorities must act more like entrepreneurial market participants: to change their management practices, the types of tenants they house, and the kinds of developments they operate, and to attract private capital for the development and operation of public-private public housing ventures.
Abstract: Public housing authorities (PHAs) are entering a brave new world. Major proposed changes to the public housing program will force PHAs to compete with private sector providers for tenants. To succeed, they will have to act more like entrepreneurial market participants: to change their management practices, the types of tenants they house, and the kinds of developments they operate, and to attract private capital for the development and operation of public‐private public housing ventures. PHAs must confront the challenges of transformation while pursuing four mutually conflicting goals: housing the neediest, achieving diversity of tenantry, cross‐subsidizing by attracting unsubsidized tenants, and attracting private capital. Success, or even survival, may require sacrificing one or more of these goals. Whether PHAs can increase housing production to such an extent that they can provide sufficient housing for the neediest while fulfilling the other goals as well remains unclear.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a more expansive view of reverse mortgages as a financial tool for tapping housing equity for various purposes and at various stages in the life cycle, including turning housing equity into personal human capital investment accounts, enabling children to provide care for their disabled parents, funding elderly households’ long-term care insurance, and sustaining consumption.
Abstract: Reverse mortgages are usually seen as a vehicle for increasing the income of poor, elderly households. This perspective, coupled with the relatively slow growth of reverse mortgage programs, has led some observers to question the growth potential of the reverse mortgage market. This article presents a more expansive view of reverse mortgages as a financial tool for tapping housing equity for various purposes and at various stages in the life cycle. Three market segments for reverse mortgages are discussed: elderly persons living alone, other elderly households, and non‐elderly households. Potential uses include turning housing equity into personal human capital investment accounts, enabling children to provide care for their disabled parents, funding elderly households’ long‐term care insurance, and sustaining consumption. Recent progress in product development and availability and political pressures to find private financing for health and long‐term care suggest that the reverse mortgage market...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that emerging demographic and cultural trends, combined with changes in the structure of business organizations and technological advances, provide new opportunities for cities to retain and attract middle-class households.
Abstract: Public policies for urban development have traditionally emphasized investment in physical infrastructure, the development of large‐scale commercial facilities, the construction of new housing, and the renewal of existing neighborhoods. Most efforts to revitalize central cities by building new facilities for visitors have focused on suburban commuters and tourists. At the same time, many housing initiatives in central cities have concentrated on low‐income communities because outlying suburban areas have attracted traditional middle‐income households. This article argues that emerging demographic and cultural trends—combined with changes in the structure of business organizations and technological advances—provide new opportunities for cities to retain and attract middle‐class households. Using gay and lesbian populations as an example, it focuses on the role that nontraditional households can play in urban redevelopment. In light of the rise of nontraditional households and the growth of self‐em...
TL;DR: In this paper, a form of joint problem solving, when coupled with third-party intervention, offers a promising and effective means of dealing with the hostile environment of affordable housing negotiations.
Abstract: At one time the national goal of affordable housing was a widely held consensus that led to decent housing for millions of Americans. Today, proponents of affordable housing must negotiate with diverse and sometimes hostile parties to secure project approvals. Discussions are frequently adversarial, and stalemate is too often the result. The consensus has collapsed. If progress toward affordable housing is to be made, proponents will have to recast the way they operate within this new environment. More than new financing plans or recommendations for regulatory relief are needed. Attention must also focus on the processes by which groups address divergent interests and come to agreement. “Principled negotiation,” a form of joint problem solving, when coupled with third‐party intervention, offers a promising and effective means of dealing with this hostile environment.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that the United States can learn much from regional growth management in Portland, OR, which uses an urban growth boundary (UGB) to maintain a compact metropolitan form.
Abstract: The nation can learn much from regional growth management in Portland, OR, which uses an urban growth boundary (UGB) to maintain a compact metropolitan form. Carl Abbott, Henry R. Richmond, and William A. Fischel offer very different views on how to interpret Portland's lessons; however, they agree that Portland is clearly trying something innovative. In fact, Portland's style of growth management has touched a nerve in the booming urban West, where even California is actively debating its implications. We fear that many fast‐growing regions throughout the country will use UGBs to simply slow development rather than integrate them into a comprehensive planning strategy as Portland has. We especially worry about the impact on affordable housing. Portland's politics give the region a unique urban form that now—in and of itself—helps maintain a coalition between city and suburbs on such key issues as housing, transportation, economic development, and equity among municipalities.
TL;DR: The Gateway Transitional Families Program as discussed by the authors, an innovative self-sufficiency program designed to help public housing residents leave public housing for their own homes, has been shown to have positive impacts on employment and receipt of aid to families with dependent children (AFDC), food stamps, and housing assistance.
Abstract: This article presents a longitudinal evaluation of the Gateway Transitional Families Program, an innovative self‐sufficiency program designed to help public housing residents leave public housing for their own homes. The evaluation followed participants and a comparison group over six years to isolate program impacts on employment and receipt of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), food stamps, and housing assistance. Many participants dropped out of the program. Difficulty in juggling educational and child‐rearing responsibilities, noncompliance with program or public housing regulations, low wages while in the program, impatience with the length of the program, and staff shortages and turnover contributed to the dropout rate. Those who finished the program experienced modest increases in income, decreases in receipt of AFDC and food stamps, and reduced reliance on housing assistance relative to comparison group members. Furthermore, graduates were more likely than comparison group me...
TL;DR: The authors compared private philanthropy's response to the housing crisis in two important eras of economic transformation: the period between the Civil War and World War I (the Progressive Era), and the period from the 1980s through today, when the United States became integrated in a global economy and confronted the shock of deindustrialization, widening economic disparities, and deepening urban decay.
Abstract: American philanthropy has historically sought to address the nation's housing crisis, especially among the poor. This article compares private philanthropy's response to the housing crisis in two important eras of economic transformation: the period between the Civil War and World War I (the Progressive Era), when the United States was undergoing large‐scale urbanization and industrialization, and the period from the 1980s through today, when the United States became integrated in a global economy and confronted the shock of deindustrialization, widening economic disparities, and deepening urban decay. Following the historical review, the article focuses briefly on the current housing crisis and the dilemmas that private foundations and nonprofit organizations face in trying to develop a coherent strategy to address the problem. It closes with a proposal for a partnership between private foundations and housing organizations that can address the need to change both public opinion and public polic...
TL;DR: The authors suggests that the declared unwillingness to expand the urban growth boundary could have contributed to Portland's recent sudden increase in housing prices and further suggests that an inflexible attitude toward the boundary could cause long run losses in employment in the Portland region, with few if any offsetting environmental benefits.
Abstract: The Portland, OR, area's urban growth boundary is an idea whose benefits to the region may depend on a willingness to expand the boundary occasionally. The parable contained in this comment suggests that the declared unwillingness to expand the urban growth boundary could have contributed to Portland's recent sudden increase in housing prices. It further suggests that an inflexible attitude toward the boundary could cause long‐run losses in employment in the Portland region, with few if any offsetting environmental benefits. Other regions should be aware of the potential drawbacks of installing such a boundary.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present an analysis of subsidies for inner-city housing in Cleveland, Ohio, focusing on the fiscal costs and benefits to the city and assesses the effectiveness of current subsidy programs.
Abstract: This article presents an analysis of subsidizing new inner-city housing in Cleveland, OH. It focuses on the fiscal costs and benefits to the city and assesses the effectiveness of current subsidy programs. Costs include land, site cleanup, infrastructure, tax abatement, and subsidized first and second mortgages. Fiscal benefits include property tax revenues (for both the new housing development and the resulting positive neighborhood externalities) and income tax revenues. The case study examines 10 new housing projects (40 percent of new projects) started in Cleveland between 1990 and 1993. The city subsidy per unit was $25,600, and average benefits were $12,800. Most costs were realized from lot preparation. Large subsidies connected to jump-starting were associated with a substantial increase in housing starts despite a two- to three-year lag time. Policy recommendations for more efficient subsidies include having local planners prepare and market lots and reducing tax abatement time.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors propose a set of demand and supply strategies to meet the needs of the informal sector, focusing on the increased use of small group savings programs, the provision of progressive infrastructure, and the creation of housing-related employment.
Abstract: By the year 2000, some 40 million people in Mexico will live in settlements commonly called the informal sector Most will live in houses that they have constructed themselves and that have some infrastructure deficit To meet their needs, the authors propose a set of demand and supply strategies Emphasis is placed on the increased use of small group savings programs, the provision of progressive infrastructure, and the creation of housing‐related employment The supply of low‐cost land must be increased, which will necessitate reforms in the ejido land tenure system Examples of locally derived, non‐government‐supported betterment programs are presented The article concludes by calling on the federal government to create stronger links with the informal sector and to reestablish its role as the supporter of social housing in Mexico
TL;DR: Newman and Schnare as mentioned in this paper provide a useful portrait of where housing assistance ends up geographically, showing that certificate and voucher holders are less likely than public housing residents to live in the poorest neighborhoods.
Abstract: Newman and Schnare provide a useful portrait of where housing assistance ends up geographically. The evidence that certificate and voucher holders are less likely than public housing residents to live in the poorest neighborhoods is encouraging, as well as important for policy decisions. Unresolved in the article, and unresolvable with the data, as the authors themselves note, is the matter of how neighborhood quality is affected by housing assistance. The least popular housing developments have long been relegated to neighborhoods of least political resistance, a fact that constrains most local efforts to deconcentrate poverty. Futhermore, through the tax code, America spends about three times as much on housing assistance for middle‐ and upper‐income households as it does on assistance to low‐ and moderate‐income households. Thus far, we have not applied “fair share” principles either to the location of housing assistance or to its allocation across the income spectrum.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that the UGB has not slowed Portland's economic development, nor is it responsible for the region's current affordable housing problems, since they allow builders to intensely develop land within the boundary, free from the NIMBY ("not in my backyard") obstacles they often face elsewhere.
Abstract: In Oregon, Portland's urban growth boundary (UGB) has produced a compact and livable region while preserving farmland and protecting the environment. The UGB has not slowed Portland's economic development, nor is it responsible for the region's current affordable housing problems. In fact, Oregon's UGBs are progrowth since they allow builders to intensely develop land within the boundary, free from the NIMBY ("not in my backyard") obstacles they often face elsewhere. Contrary to what Carl Abbott argues, the regional planning lessons learned in Portland, especially regarding the use of a UGB, may be applied throughout the nation.
TL;DR: The New Jersey Mount Laurel decision as discussed by the authors showed that state courts can play an indispensable role in solving regional land use problems if they secure the support of community leadership groups, and many traditional objections to the effectiveness of judicial reform seem to have been overcome in New Jersey litigations and legislations.
Abstract: Nowhere is the chasm between the races more apparent than in the physical division of metropolitan areas between inner‐city poverty and suburban affluence. Thus far, public policy efforts to introduce metropolitan perspectives into local land use regulations have been unsuccessful. The series of New Jersey Mount Laurel decisions lays out a possible path for introducing comprehensive regional planning by deploying the constitutional power of state courts. Relying on the allied professions of economics and city planning, the New Jersey Supreme Court eliminated the legal barriers to affordable housing in the suburbs. Questions have been raised over courts’ ability to reform local government powers, but many traditional objections to the effectiveness of judicial reform seem to have been overcome in the New Jersey litigations and legislations. State courts can play an indispensable role in solving regional land use problems if they secure the support of community leadership groups.
TL;DR: In 1990, only about a third of the Americans who lived in metropolitan areas were central-city residents, down from more than half in 1950, and the gap between city and suburbs is far greater in some of the largest metropolitan areas of the Northeast and Midwest.
Abstract: Since the 1960s, many of America’s major cities have lost population while suburban jurisdictions burgeoned. Successive waves of families seeking larger homes on bigger lots, better schools, safer streets, and more amenities left the central city for new communities farther and farther from the urban core. In 1990, only about a third of the Americans who lived in metropolitan areas were central-city residents, down from more than half in 1950. Perhaps more important, most cities lost middleand upperincome residents, with those remaining behind more likely to be poor and minority. As a consequence, central cities are now substantially poorer than the suburbs that surround them. In 1990, for example, median incomes in central-city jurisdictions nationwide were almost 30 percent lower than in the suburbs. And the gap between city and suburbs is far greater in some of the largest metropolitan areas of the Northeast and Midwest.
TL;DR: The authors examines the extent to which local housing allocations are used to address not only individual household needs, but also the concerns of local communities and wider housing management issues, in response to the changing context in which social rented housing has operated in the past 15 years and to perceived weaknesses in needsbased systems.
Abstract: When selecting among competing applicants for rehousing in social rented property, the perceived wisdom in Britain since the 1940s has been to award priority to households in the greatest housing need. “Need” is often defined in highly complex ways. However, a shift has occurred in local authority and housing association rehousing policies away from allocations made solely on the basis of need. This shift comes in response to the changing context in which social rented housing has operated in the past 15 years and to perceived weaknesses in needs‐based systems. Present policies are designed to address wider objectives, including developing stable communities and minimizing housing management problems. This article examines these policy changes and the extent to which local housing allocations are used to address not only individual household needs, but also the concerns of local communities and wider housing management issues.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors find Quercia and Galster's article on reforming public housing an intriguing academic exercise that contains some key insights useful to practitioners, however, the article fails to consider several key elements in the provision of assisted housing that make their "constrained quadrilemma" much less problematic than they assume.
Abstract: We find Quercia and Galster's article on reforming public housing an intriguing academic exercise that contains some key insights useful to practitioners. However, the article fails to consider several key elements in the provision of assisted housing that make their “constrained quadrilemma” much less problematic than they assume. The article ignores the tenant‐based certificate/voucher approach to meeting the housing needs of low‐income and very low income persons and households. This is a significant oversight, in that many public housing authorities (PHAs) manage a larger portfolio of certificates than of PHA‐owned housing. If the litmus test of the success of public housing's “reinvention” is the extent to which it is able to maximize both the number of low‐income households served and their social and geographic integration, then public housing's extensive use of certificate/voucher programs demonstrates a road out of the quadrilemma.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present the Bringing Neighborhood Back in: Housing in a community context, a discussion of the role of neighborhood in the design of public housing in the 1990s.
Abstract: (1997). Bringing neighborhood back in: Housing in a community context. Housing Policy Debate: Vol. 8, No. 4, pp. 697-701.