Housing Politics Lab
Neighborhood Defenders: Participatory Politics and America's Housing Crisis is published by Cambridge University Press.
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About the Book
Why is it so hard to build new housing in America's cities? Drawing on a comprehensive and novel dataset, we demonstrate that a small number of organized, privileged residents dominate public meetings about housing and drive local housing politics.
Chapter Overview
Chapter 1: Neighborhood Defenders and America's Housing Crisis
Introduces the concept of neighborhood defenders and frames the broader housing crisis in the United States.
Chapter 2: The Power of Delay
Examines the mechanisms through which opponents of new development use delay tactics to block or reduce housing construction.
Chapter 3: Regulations, Housing Construction, and Lawsuits
Analyzes the relationship between regulations and housing construction, using a natural experiment involving Catholic Church property sales.
Chapter 4: Land Use Regulations and Public Input
Studies how the public input process in land use regulation shapes housing outcomes.
Chapter 5: The Demographics of Neighborhood Defenders
Profiles who shows up to oppose development: disproportionately older, white, male, longtime residents and homeowners.
Chapter 6: Defense Tactics and Meeting Participation
Documents the specific strategies and rhetorical tactics used by neighborhood defenders at public meetings.
Chapter 7: Gentrification, Reform, and the Future
Looks at the intersection of neighborhood defense with gentrification and proposes reform solutions to improve housing outcomes.