#621 Online: Neighborhood Defenders - Participatory Politics and America's Housing Crisis

Maxwell Palmer is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Boston University, and the co-author, with Katherine Levein Einstein and David Glick, of Neighborhood Defenders: Participatory Politics and America’s Housing Crisis.

In their book they show how neighborhood participation in the housing permitting process exacerbates existing political inequalities, limits the housing supply, and contributes to the current affordable housing crisis. Participatory institutions like planning and zoning boards invite comments from neighbors on proposed housing developments. While neighbors with all viewpoints are welcome, we show that the individuals who choose to participate hold overwhelmingly negative views of new housing—far more negative than their broader communities—and are socioeconomically advantaged on a variety of dimensions. Using land use institutions, these individuals—who we term neighborhood defenders—are able to raise concerns that lead to lengthy delays, high development costs, and smaller projects. The result is a diminished housing stock and higher housing costs.

In this talk Prof. Palmer will discuss the key findings of Neighborhood Defenders, and present some recent research on other ways that communities fight new housing, even when that housing is allowed under the zoning code. For example, communities exclude newcomers by giving local preferences to current residents in affordable houding lotteries, exclude families by restricting new affordable housing to seniors or only building small units, and stop developments entirely by buying large plots of land. He will also discuss some strategies to address the housing crisis.

ASL This event will not have an American Sign Language interpreter.