The American Housing Question: Racism, Urban Citizenship, and the Privilege of Mobility

The American Housing Question explores the relationship between urban citizenship, racism, and affordable housing, highlighting the historical roots of housing policy and the impact of privatization and financialization on housing affordability.

Format: Hardback
Length: 174 pages
Publication date: 20 October 2021
Publisher: Lexington Books

The American Housing Question takes a novel approach to the issue of affordable housing by examining it through the lenses of urban citizenship and racism. Randolph Hohle contends that when we analyze who gains from affordable housing, we uncover a intricate narrative of inclusion and exclusion, as well as privilege and mobility, all deeply rooted in race and social class. Historically, the primary objective of affordable housing was to establish the necessary conditions for white individuals to exercise their privilege of mobility. Affordable housing policy primarily aimed to provide white people with the opportunity to reside in racially segregated neighborhoods both within and across urban areas.

However, when the primary beneficiaries of affordable housing policies were predominantly white, the state implemented a comprehensive and multifaceted plan to address housing needs. This plan encompassed public housing, subsidies for market-rate housing construction, rental vouchers, and rent control measures. The white response to the Civil Rights era, which laid the groundwork for neoliberal urban policy, involved the privatization of public housing, shifting the responsibility for affordable housing to the market, and ultimately creating the conditions for the financialization of housing in the twenty-first century, making it increasingly unaffordable for many.

As Hohle astutely illustrates, resolving the American housing question necessitates a comprehensive approach that addresses both racism and reevaluates the concept of the public. By recognizing the historical and systemic factors that have contributed to housing inequality, we can work towards creating a more equitable and inclusive society where everyone has access to safe and affordable housing.

Weight: 399g
Dimension: 237 x 163 x 17 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781793636485