Full Description
In Defense of Housing is the definitive statement on this crisis from leading urban planner Peter Marcuse and sociologist David Madden. Today our homes are being transformed into commodities, making the inequalities of the city ever more acute. Profit has become more important than social need. The poor are forced to pay more for worse housing. Communities are faced with the violence of displacement and gentrification. And the benefits of decent housing are only available for those who can afford it. The authors look at the causes and consequences of the housing problem and detail the need for progressive alternatives. The housing crisis cannot be solved by minor policy shifts, they argue. Rather, the housing crisis has deep political and economic roots-and therefore requires a radical response.
Contents
Foreword to the Second Edition
Acknowledgments
Introduction: The Residential Is Political
1 Against the Commodifi cation of Housing
2 Residential Alienation
3 Oppression and Liberation in Housing
4 The Myths of Housing Policy
5 Housing Movements of New York
Conclusion: For a Radical Right to Housing
Index
