Housing the Poorest: Hoping for More

Chapter 13 revisits the four constellations—Publica Major, the Big Developer, Nonprofitus, and Plebs—to compare the four places discussed in the book. These cities of stars reveal how HOPE VI affects governance in two settings: the phased implementation of projects and the management of completed neighborhoods. The relative power of public, private, not-for-profit, and community voices constrains project pace and shapes how much to prioritize on-site rehousing of the existing extremely low-income community. And, following on this, the second key arena of poverty governance entails decisions about selecting and managing residents in the completed development. Reflecting on the lived reality of the four communities provides an opportunity to revisit the stated rationales for income mixing. The chapter assesses the difficulties of redeveloping public housing in the context of ongoing (self-inflicted) economic austerity and lingering resentments and concludes by examining emergent directions for housing and planning policy.