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Research article
First published online March 25, 2021

Unwanted Housing: Localism and Politics of Housing Development

Abstract

Abstract

We examine pervasive opposition to building market-rate housing and relate it to localism: a perspective that grants moral authority to incumbent residents. We argue that localism has become prevalent in housing planning in the United States and that its seeming equality—allowing all communities the right to define themselves—conceals profound imbalances that favor the affluent. We use survey data from California to measure localism, using opposition to state land use preemption as a proxy. We find that localism is concentrated among white, affluent homeowners. This suggests that localist beliefs are less prevalent in the population than they are in planning practice.

摘要

我们研究了建造市价住房遭到普遍反对的问题,并将其与地方主义联系起来:这种观点将道德权力授予了现任居民。 我们认为,地方主义在美国的住房规划中已变得普遍,并且它表面上的平等性(允许所有社区自行定义自己的权利)掩盖了有利于富裕者的严重失衡。 我们使用来自加利福尼亚州的调查数据来衡量地方主义,并以反对州土地使用优先权为代表。 我们发现地方主义集中在白人,富裕的房主群体中,这表面地方主义信念在人口中的流行程度低于应纳入规划实践的范围。

Resumen

Examinamos la oposición generalizada a la construcción de viviendas a precio de mercado y la relacionamos con el localismo: una perspectiva que otorga autoridad moral a los residentes actuales. Sostenemos que el localismo se ha vuelto predominante en la planificación de la vivienda en los Estados Unidos y que su aparente igualdad —permitiendo a todas las comunidades el derecho a definirse a sí mismas— esconde profundos desequilibrios que favorecen a los ricos. Usamos datos de encuestas de California para medir el localismo, usando la oposición a la preferencia estatal del uso de la tierra como un proxy. Encontramos que el localismo se concentra entre los propietarios de viviendas ricos y blancos, lo que sugiere que las creencias localistas son menos frecuentes en la población de lo que deberían incorporarse en la práctica de la planificación.

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Biographies

Michael Manville is associate professor of Urban Planning at University of California, Los Angeles.
Paavo Monkkonen is associate professor of Urban Planning and Public Policy at University of California, Los Angeles.