Opposition to Affordable Housing in the USA: Debate Framing and the Responses of Local Actors

Nguyen, Mai Thi; Basolo, Victoria; Tiwari, Afy

doi:10.1080/14036096.2012.667833

Cited by 71 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…In the end, community opposition at any stage in the development process can cause delays, force changes, increase costs, and undermine equitable siting decisions (Galster et al, 2003;Gibson, 2005;Nguyen et al, 2013;Scally, 2013;Tighe, 2011Tighe, , 2012. Developments can be pushed into already poor areas where there is less political strength to oppose them (Schively, 2007), or developers may pre-emptively choose poor areas as communities least likely to oppose their plans (Buki, 2002;Estes, 2007;Rohe & Freeman, 2001).…”

Section: Siting Affordable Housingmentioning

confidence: 96%

Democracy in Action?: NIMBY as Impediment to Equitable Affordable Housing Siting

Tighe¹,

Scally

2015

Housing Studies

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Effective democracy requires participation. However, the history of urban politics, housing policy, and neighborhood revitalization has demonstrated that wealth and power often overshadow participation and community activism. Proponents of equity planning and advocacy planning in the USA have fought to include vulnerable, marginalized populations within planning decisions, yet there have been few examples of this in action. We apply Fainstein's principles of The Just City (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2010) to investigate the extent to which local opposition affects affordable housing development. In doing so, we question the extent to which housing policy and planning in the USA successfully achieve the goals of equity and fairness, or whether not-in-mybackyard forces operating within (and beyond) "democratic" planning processes override those principles in siting decisions. Our results suggest that community opposition is a considerable barrier to the efficient siting of affordable housing, and propose changes to local planning and implementation strategies in order to minimize opposition and produce more equitable outcomes.

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Section: Siting Affordable Housingmentioning

confidence: 96%

Democracy in Action?: NIMBY as Impediment to Equitable Affordable Housing Siting

Tighe¹,

Scally

2015

Housing Studies

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“…However, most Americans do not know very much about subsidized housing, and are certainly not familiar with the changes in policy over time, nor the research demonstrating the lack of ill effects emanating from nearby subsidized housing (Nguyen, Basolo, and Tiwari 2013;Tighe 2012). When people do not have a lot of information about something-such as subsidized housing-they rely on cognitive shortcuts to make decisions (Lippmann 1922;McConahay 1982;Sears et al 1997).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This research suggests negative attitudes are often based on misperceptions and stereotypes of the people who may live there (Nguyen, Basolo, and Tiwari 2013;Pendall 1999;Somerman 1993;Takahashi 1997;Tighe 2010Tighe , 2012Wilton 2002) and on assumptions made regarding the character of subsidized housing's residents (Dear 1992;Tighe 2010Tighe , 2012Wilton 2002). Often, the extent to which these residents are perceived as undesirable strongly shapes support or opposition to such housing (Dear 1992;Takahashi 1997;Wilton 2002).…”

Section: Discriminationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nguyen, Basolo, and Tiwari (2013) observe, ''misunderstandings and misperceptions about affordable housing may exist, such as when affordable housing is mistakenly equated with public housing . .…”

Section: Discriminationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The foremost of these include market constraints (Devine et al 2013;Kleit and Galvez 2011;Turner et al 2000), use of information (Kleit and Galvez 2011;Pendall 2000b), and discrimination (Nguyen, Basolo, and Tiwari 2013;Tighe 2012). Yet all of these factors are intermingled: discrimination on the part of landlords will influence market constraints, expected or perceived discrimination will affect personal preferences, and access to information is dependent upon where landlords choose to advertise (or not) as well as how households hear about potential units.…”

Section: Challenges For Voucher Holders Seeking Housingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Source of Income Discrimination and Fair Housing Policy

Tighe

Hatch

Mead

2016

Journal of Planning Literature

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The housing choice voucher program was designed with two main goals in mind: to eliminate concentrations of poverty and the social problems it causes and to provide poor households with greater access to higher-opportunity neighborhoods. However, research suggests that voucher holders would like to move to higher-opportunity neighborhoods, but often are unable to do so. One of the most prominent reasons for this is that, in most cities and states, local law allows landlords to discriminate against potential tenants on the grounds of their ''source of income'' (SOI). This article reviews the literature on discrimination of voucher recipients and the potential for SOI antidiscrimination laws to mitigate some of these negative outcomes.

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