Description
Book SynopsisPopular opinion holds that public housing is a failure. Over the past decade, however, historians and social scientists have quietly exploded the common wisdom about public housing. This volume provides an updated, panoramic view of public housing.
Trade ReviewAddressing and debunking 11 widely held assumptions about public housing and why it failed, this much-needed book largely discredits the policy rhetoric concerning the problematic stereotypes associated with public housing.... The book adeptly points out that to blame public housing on the persistence of crime, poverty, and other social problems is simply not accurate.
-- D.A. Oakley * CHOICE *
For tenants like those who I [have spoken to in my research] – and for indeed anyone who has tried to engage in discussions about public housing – the value of this book cannot be overstated. Public debate about public housing requires an arsenal of rebuttals to confront these destructive myths, as well as a lot of energy and patience. As I read through this collection, I could feel a growing sense of relief – finally, it's here! In one volume!... Public housing – as an institution, a home and social policy – has long needed a resource like Public Housing Myths. Anyone whose scholarly or professional work involves public housing should be required to read this comprehensive and convincing volume.
-- Martine August * Social & Cultural Geography *
Table of ContentsIntroductionI. PlacesMYTH #1. Public Housing Stands Alone
by Joseph HeathcottMYTH #2. Modernist Architecture Failed Public Housing
by D. Bradford HuntMYTH #3. Public Housing Breeds Crime
by Fritz Umbach and Alexander GerouldMYTH #4. High-Rise Public Housing Is Unmanageable
by Nicholas Dagen BloomII. PolicyMYTH #5. Public Housing Ended in Failure during the 1970s
by Yonah FreemarkMYTH #6. Mixed-Income Redevelopment Is the Only Way to Fix Failed Public Housing
by Lawrence J. ValeMYTH #7. Only Immigrants Still Live in Eu ro pe an Public Housing
by Florian UrbanMYTH #8. Public Housing Is Only for Poor People
by Nancy KwakIII. PeopleMYTH #9. Public Housing Residents Hate the Police
by Fritz UmbachMYTH #10. Public Housing Tenants Are Powerless
by Rhonda Y. WilliamsMYTH #11. Public Housing Tenants Did Not Invest in Their Neighborhoods
by Lisa LevensteinNotes
Acknowledgments
Contributor Biographies
Index
