Where are poor people to live? : transforming public housing communities /

For low-income households in US cities, public housing is one of the few options available for affordable and decent shelter. Since the end of WW II, however, numerous public housing complexes have suffered from physical neglect and crime, with their residents socially isolated and racially segregated. In the early 1990s, a national effort, Hope VI, was launched to create "healthier" public housing communities through relocation, demolition of distressed units, and on-site construction of mixed-income housing. Focused on public housing in Chicago, this volume provides an extensively researched and thoughtful assessment of the origins of Hope VI and a critique of current developments. Eleven substantive chapters explore the policy rationales behind public housing and Hope VI; detail the elements of Chicago's Plan for Transformation; probe resident resistance to and engagement with the Chicago Housing Authority; and dissect the implications for tenant selection, racial integration, public housing design, central city redevelopment, and the national government's commitment to the housing needs of low-income households. By conveying the rich interplay of policy choices, local and national politics, and issues of social justice, this book offers insights and lessons that extend well beyond Chicago. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. Graduate, research, and professional collections. R. A. Beauregard The New School