Green gentrification or ‘just green enough’: Do park location, size and function affect whether a place gentrifies or not?

Urban Studies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 402-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Rigolon ◽  
Jeremy Németh
Keyword(s):  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Housing Price ◽  
The United States ◽  
Active Transportation ◽  
Census Tracts ◽  
Price Increases ◽  
Logistic Regressions ◽  
And Function ◽  
Park Location

Recent research shows that the establishment of new parks in historically disinvested neighbourhoods can result in housing price increases and the displacement of low-income people of colour. Some suggest that a ‘just green enough’ approach, in particular its call for the creation of small parks and nearby affordable housing, can reduce the chances of this phenomenon some call ‘green gentrification’. Yet, no study has tested these claims empirically across a sample of diverse cities. Focusing on 10 cities in the United States, we run multilevel logistic regressions to uncover whether the location (distance from downtown), size and function (active transportation) of new parks built in the 2000–2008 and 2008–2015 periods predict whether the census tracts around them gentrified. We find that park function and location are strong predictors of gentrification, whereas park size is not. In particular, new greenway parks with an active transportation component built in the 2008–2015 period triggered gentrification more than other park types, and new parks located closer to downtown tend to foster gentrification more than parks on a city’s outskirts. These findings call into question the ‘just green enough’ claim that small parks foster green gentrification less than larger parks do.

scholarly journals The Rebuilding of the South Bronx after the Fiscal Crisis

2017 ◽  
Vol 43 (6) ◽  
pp. 932-959
Author(s):  
Themis Chronopoulos
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Economic Policy ◽  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Low Income ◽  
The United States ◽  
City Government ◽  
The South ◽  
South Bronx ◽  
Public Subsidies ◽  
The One

This article explores the rebuilding of the South Bronx since 1977. This rebuilding represents an important public policy accomplishment, since the South Bronx was one of the most physically devastated areas in the United States. In terms of economic policy, the rebuilding of the South Bronx defies linear narratives. One the one hand, public–private partnerships, which represent some of the most important features of urban neoliberalism, were used heavily in the revitalization of the South Bronx. Community organizations that had been rebuilding areas in the South Bronx in the 1970s and the 1980s were required to conform to the requirements of the market, if they were to continue participating in urban development. On the other hand, the building of housing for low- and moderate-income people is not exactly a neoliberal economic policy, since these housing units were built with public subsidies and regulated by government agencies. In its insistence to rebuild the South Bronx as well as other physically devastated areas, the city government of New York became involved in creative financing by incorporating nongovernment organizations that were ran by accomplished businesspeople but remained nonprofit. And whatever the original intentions of city administrations in building and preserving affordable housing in the South Bronx may have been, the accommodation of so many low-income people performing low-paying but essential jobs has contributed to the making of a more vibrant urban economy, even if these same people are not necessarily the ones benefitting from New York’s economic dynamism.

Millennial ‘YIMBYs’ and boomer ‘NIMBYs’: Generational views on housing affordability in the United States

2020 ◽  
pp. 003802612091612
Author(s):  
Max Holleran
Keyword(s):  
Baby Boomers ◽  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Rental Housing ◽  
The United States ◽  
Housing Affordability ◽  
Single Family ◽  
Market Rate ◽  
Job Opportunities ◽  
Housing Costs

This article examines housing activism in five American cities using interviews with millennial-age housing activists, seeking more apartment development, and baby boomers who are members of neighbourhood groups that oppose growth. Many of the groups supporting growth have banded together under the banner of the ‘Yes in My Backyard’ (YIMBY) movement which seeks fewer zoning laws and pushes for market-rate rental housing. In desirable cities with thriving job opportunities, housing costs are pricing out not only low-income renters but also the middle class. The millennial activists sampled blame baby boomers for the lack of affordable housing because of resistance to higher density construction in neighbourhoods with single-family homes (characterising these people as having a ‘Not in My Backyard’ [NIMBY] mindset). The research shows that boomers and millennials not only disagree over urban growth but also more fundamental questions of what makes a liveable city.

Public Housing and Vouchers

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Schwartz
Keyword(s):  
Public Housing ◽  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Low Income ◽  
The United States ◽  
Housing Subsidy ◽  
Housing Program ◽  
Design Evolution ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Privately Owned ◽  
Low Income Households

Public housing and rental vouchers constitute two distinct forms of housing subsidy in the United States. Public housing, the nation’s oldest housing program for low-income renters provides affordable housing to about 1.2 million households in developments ranging in size from a single unit to multibuilding complexes with hundreds of apartments. The Housing Choice Voucher Program, founded more than 35 years after the start of public housing is now the nation’s largest rental subsidy program. It enables around 2 million low-income households to rent privately owned housing anywhere in the country. Although both programs provide low-income households with “deep” subsidies that ensure they spend no more than 30 percent of their adjusted income on rent, and both are operated by local public housing authorities, they offer distinct advantages and disadvantages. This chapter reviews and compares the two programs, examining their design, evolution, and strengths and weaknesses, including issues of racial segregation and concentrated poverty.

scholarly journals The low-income single-family house and the effectiveness of architects in affecting affordability

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ron Dulaney
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Low Income ◽  
The United States ◽  
Single Family ◽  
Actual Effectiveness ◽  
Family Housing ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
House Design ◽  
Family House

Architects are increasingly engaged in efforts to provide affordable, owner-occupied housing in the United States. Yet architects’ roles in broadly addressing affordable housing remain marginal as was anecdotally evident by the absence of architects at a recent university-sponsored affordable housing workshop. Apparently, the potential contributions of architects in “the development of innovative approaches and best practices” related to affordable, owner-occupied housing is not always valued to housing policymakers and planners such as those who organized this workshop. This paper speculatively explores the gap between the potential value of architects and their actual effectiveness at realizing widespread relevancy, innovation, and change in improving the quality and attainability of affordable, owner occupied housing and how this gap may contribute to the undervaluation and marginalization of architects’ efforts to address affordable housing needs in the United States. Case studies of several recent U.S. house design competitions exemplify these gaps. Potential strategies for closing these gaps and thus appreciating the value of architects’ efforts in this endeavor are identified.To become central in providing much-needed affordable, owner-occupied housing, architects must make the value of their potential contributions evident. This requires a clear definition of design goals, a rigorous assessment of built projects, and the thorough dissemination of findings and methodologies. Architects must engage those fields to which they have, in the U.S., long relinquished affordable, single-family housing. Architects must demonstrate that qualitative design improvements are not just possible within the frameworks and agendas of those other fields but that good design will better enable the achievement of those extra-disciplinary goals.

scholarly journals A PROPOSAL FOR AFFORDABLE WAQF HOUSING PROJECTS IN MALAYSIA: PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF HOUSE CHARACTERISTICS

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (17) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nor Azizan Che Embi ◽  
Salina Kassim ◽  
Roslily Ramlee ◽  
Wan Rohaida Wan Husain
Keyword(s):  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Housing Prices ◽  
Housing Price ◽  
Income Group ◽  
Housing Affordability ◽  
High Income Group ◽  
Housing Projects

Housing affordability is important to ensure houses are affordable to everyone across all income categories, whether they are in the low-income, middle-income (M40), or high-income group. Building housing projects on waqf land will help increase the supply of affordable houses, especially targeted at the M40 group, while also addressing the shortage of affordable housing for the M40 cohort. This study analyses public perceptions of house characteristics and relate these factors to affordable housing prices. The independent variables are location, infrastructure, facilities, size, design and quality. By applying a quantitative research design, the study aims to understand the relationship between various demanded housing characteristics vis-a-vis the price of the house. A sample of 261 usable responses was analysed using the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The results show that house size is not statistically significant in influencing the housing price, while location, infrastructure and design of the house are positively significant factors. These findings are expected to provide important inputs to the relevant authorities on factors that are critical in influencing the prices of housing projects built on waqf land in Malaysia.

Revisiting Low Income Residential Construction Options in Spokane

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
McKenna S. Milacek ◽  
Joshua Schultz ◽  
Mark Muszynski
Keyword(s):  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Equal Opportunity ◽  
The United States ◽  
Structural Insulated Panels ◽  
Construction Techniques ◽  
Wood Frame ◽  
Eastern Washington ◽  
Frame Construction ◽  
Straw Bale

<p>Affordable housing plays an important role in providing equal opportunity for individuals within most communities in the United States. In the area of eastern Washington State, in particular, there is currently a dearth of affordable housing options; especially for larger families. This lack of three- and four- bedroom residences presents a challenge for the City of Spokane, and the low-income residents seeking housing. This paper provides a preliminary look at certain alternate construction approaches for stand-alone houses with the end goal of optimizing taxpayer funding available, and to reduce living expenses for occupants. Two possible alternative approaches [structural insulated panels (SIPs) and straw bale wall construction] are compared to traditional wood frame construction; all in terms of cost and structural performance. Alternate foundation options are also currently under consideration. It appears that certain alternate construction techniques are worthy of a fresh look; particularly straw bale construction.</p>

scholarly journals Planning for affordable housing, its engagement with mixed use planning, and revising how affordability is defined

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karla Tamayo
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Low Income ◽  
The United States ◽  
Housing Developments ◽  
Mixed Use ◽  
Market Trends ◽  
Emerging Themes

Affordable housing has become synonymous with mixed-use planning within affordable housing strategies across Canada and the United States. This paper first looks to understand why planning for affordable housing has widely engaged with mixed-use planning, then looks to understand the resulting impacts by summarizing recent empirical research within the intersection of affordable housing and mixed-use planning, and outlining emerging themes. This paper finds that affordable housing that engages with mixed-use planning is often associated with gentrification efforts, displacement, and inequitable development. Specifically analyzing the role that definitions of affordability and applications of these definitions have in relation to gentrification efforts, displacement, and inequitable development, this paper finds that mixed-use, affordable housing developments that insist on using market-level measures of affordability will continue to demonstrate the potential to cater to market trends instead of the needs of low-income residents if intervening measures are not in place.

scholarly journals Understanding Community Development Financial Institutions and their Impact in Low- and Moderate-Income Neighborhoods

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 001-152
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Community Development ◽  
Financial Institutions ◽  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Low Income ◽  
The United States ◽  
Research Papers ◽  
Vulnerable Communities ◽  
History Of ◽  
Community Development Financial Institutions ◽  
Community Facilities

Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) are mission-driven lenders that create economic opportunity for low-income communities and individuals throughout the United States. The history of CDFIs dates back to the 1970s. There are currently over 1,100 operating as banks, credit unions, nonprofit loan funds, and venture capital funds. CDFI financing leads to the creation of jobs, affordable housing, community facilities and more. This issue of the Community Development Innovation Review is a collection of research papers designed to expand our understanding of CDFIs and their impacts in vulnerable communities across the country.

scholarly journals Housing Prices and the Skills Composition of Neighborhoods

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahad Althobaiti ◽  
Saud Alghumayjan ◽  
Morgan R. Frank ◽  
Esteban Moro ◽  
Ahmad Alabdulkareem ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
San Francisco ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Service Sector ◽  
Housing Prices ◽  
Housing Price ◽  
The United States ◽  
Skilled Workers ◽  
Cost Of Living ◽  
The Impact

In the United States (US), low-income workers are being pushed away from city centers where the cost of living is high. The effects of such changes on labor mobility and housing price have been explored in the literature. However, few studies have focused on the occupations and specific skills that identify the most susceptible workers. For example, it has become increasingly challenging to fill the service sector jobs in the San Francisco (SF) Bay Area because appropriately skilled workers cannot afford the growing cost of living within commuting distance. With this example in mind, how does a neighborhood's skill composition change as a result of higher housing prices? Are there certain skill sets that are being pushed to the geographical periphery of a city despite their essentialness to the city's economy? Our study focuses on the impact of housing prices with a granular view of skills compositions to answer the following question: Has the density of cognitive skill workers been increasing in a gentrified area? We hypothesize that, over time, low-skilled workers are pushed away from downtown or areas where high-skill establishments thrive. Our preliminary results show that high-level cognitive skills are getting closer to the city center indicating adaptation to the increase of median housing prices as opposed to low-level physical skills that got further away. We examined tracts that the literature indicates as gentrified areas and found a pattern in which there is a temporal increase in median housing prices and the number of business establishments coupled with an increase in the percentage of skilled cognitive workers.

scholarly journals Expanding Housing With Services in the United States: The Case of the Right Care, Right Place, Right Time Program

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 584-584
Author(s):  
Edward Miller ◽  
Pamela Nadash ◽  
Elizabeth Simpson ◽  
Marc Cohen
Keyword(s):  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Low Income ◽  
The United States ◽  
Supportive Services ◽  
Related Services ◽  
Access To Health ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Health Quality ◽  
Services And Supports ◽  
The Right

Abstract Older people living in congregate environments are obvious beneficiaries of supportive services. The potential for prevention is clear, particularly among low-income elders living in subsidized housing; it is this group that is at high risk for significant healthcare and other costs, and it is this group that suffers considerably from a fragmented healthcare system. The purpose of this presentation is to illustrate the potential of housing with services, drawing from evaluation of The Right Care, Right Place, Right Time (R3) initiative (R3) located in the Greater Boston area. The R3 program consists of two on-site wellness teams, including a wellness nurse and wellness coordinator. Each team is responsible for about 200 participants across two housing sites. Evaluation findings highlight the potential of housing with services for improving the health, quality of life, and access to health-related services and supports among seniors living independently in affordable housing, while reducing healthcare costs.

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