Stigma and Distrust in the Redevelopment of Public Housing A Case Study

Date of Award

2006

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Brain, David

Keywords

Public Housing, Stigma, Poverty, Planning, HOPE VI, Poe, Janie

Area of Concentration

Sociology

Abstract

From the early 1990�s to 2005, the U.S. public housing program underwent a massive policy shift, leading many local housing authorities to replace existing sites with mixed-income developments. The stated goal of this program is to remove the stigma from traditional 'projects' and to help move residents toward self-sufficiency. Studies have suggested that a high degree of cooperation between resident organizations and housing authorities throughout the process is linked with higher overall success, including higher resident satisfaction and smoother planning and implementation. This study draws on ethnographic research of a local redevelopment planning effort to explore how a variety of factors perpetuate a spiral of distrust and conflict between the residents and the housing authorities. An analysis follows on the sources of this distrust, moving from circumstantial factors to those relating to broader social systems.

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