When discussing problems with multi-family housing many people refer to inner city housing projects. I ran across an article that had this to say:
Most policy experts agree these days that big public housing projects are noxious environments for their tenants… Housing projects radiate dysfunction and social problems outward, damaging local businesses and neighborhood property values. They hurt cities by inhibiting or even preventing these rundown areas from coming back to life by attracting higher-income homesteaders and new business investment. Making matters worse, for decades cities have zoned whole areas to be public housing forever, shutting out in perpetuity the constant recycling of property that helps dynamic cities generate new wealth and opportunity for rich and poor alike.
Public housing spawns neighborhood social problems because it concentrates together welfare-dependent, single-parent families, whose fatherless children disproportionately turn out to be school dropouts, drug users, non-workers, and criminals…Public housing then became a key component of the vast welfare-support network that gave young women their own income and apartment if they gave birth to illegitimate kids. As the fatherless children of these women grew up and went astray, many projects became lawless places, with gunfire a nightly occurrence and murder commonplace.
All of this is according to bigoted Howard Husock of City Journal in the 2003 article “How Public Housing Harms Cities”. While making wildly rash generalizations Husock brings up an interesting idea. If these areas are deemed to be public housing forever, why must they be a part of the “welfare-support network”? I am here to present 2 other options for public housing, rooted in environmental psychology, that may provide a more stable and fruitful environment: co-operatives and subsidized housing for specific user groups.
One of my good friends from graduate school recently moved into an artist’s community in Baltimore, Maryland. Artists’ Housing Inc. is a co-op that was developed in 1984 when the Neighborhood Progress Administration/DHCD, the Mayor's Advisory Council on Art and Culture and Citizens for Washington Hill were able to obtain a low-intrest loan from HUD as well as several grants and contributions to renovate a series of historic storefront row houses. These units are open to all artists: painters, poets, installation artists, musicians, writers, graphic artists, photographers, sculptors, film makers, fiber artists, costume designers, set and lighting designers, dancers, teachers, arts administrators and architects. To be considered for residency one must go through an interview process, present a portfolio and demonstrate financial need. This affordable housing option provides a solution to low-income multi-family housing other than blighted housing projects. These artists are also more apt to participate in community activities and feel a since of ownership because they feel as though they belong to a group of like-minded individuals. Much like in a design studio class you would ensure that no harm came to your classmates studio project in this type of living environment you would want to ensure the safety of your neighbors.
Similarly, one may feel more protective of an area if one has legal ownership of all or part of that space (Gifford, 157). This is why homeowners may take better care of their property than a renter would. For that reason developing housing co-operatives in areas that once were public housing may have a positive impact on the neighborhoods. In housing co-operatives one actually owns a part of the community and elects board members to have a say so in how that community is ran. Doing this would allow the members of a community to feel more in control and have a sense of ownership of their neighborhood. If theories are correct this would cause them to be more protective of their community’s and have positive effects on crime rates.
Reference List:
Gifford, Robert. Environmental psychology: principles and practice. 3. Canada: Optimal Books, 2002. 157. Print.
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