The dismantling of public housing in the USA

The market reigns supreme in the housing system of the United States. Its prominence has led to the efficient provision of housing of ever-rising standards for most Americans. At the same time, the poor continue to live in appalling conditions. The majority of them have to secure their housing without public support. In spite of the long history of government intervention in the housing system, the effect of that support has been marginal at best. Although the large cities contain substantial numbers of assisted housing, the public housing program has failed to provide the poor with the “decent housing and the suitable living environment” promised to every American family in the 1949 Housing Act. Even the direct support of households through housing vouchers and certificates has not broken up the concentrations of poverty. Many households remain trapped in substandard housing in crime-infested urban areas. The articles in this issue evaluate the (possible) outcomes of the latest round of reforms of the American public housing program, which are geared to more private-sector involvement. Jan van Weesep is Professor of Urban Geography and Urban Policy at Utrecht University (The Netherlands). His publications cover a range of housing and urban issues in various countries. He has studied and worked in the United States. Hugo Priemus holds the chair in housing at Delft University of Technology and he is managing director of OTB Institute for Housing, Urban and Mobility Studies.