Creating Mixed Communities through Housing Policies

This book focuses on socially mixed (e.g. by income, tenure, ethnicity or any other characteristic) communities developed through housing renewal and critically examines the policies and practices in view of the growing urban inequality. The volume expands the discussion to the second phase of social mix – “social mix version 2.0” and offers constructive reflections on how social mix can “be better conceived and delivered, with fewer negative side effects” .

The chapters in this book cover diverse national contexts and policy backgrounds, and represent the perspectives of many key stakeholders, including national and local governments, services and NGOs, developers and, most importantly, residents. Chapters present diverse case studies from Europe, the Middle East, Africa, India, Australia, and the United States and discuss projects that range in scale from small housing initiatives to neighborhoods and to whole districts. They focus on diverse experiences of social mix: between university students and young professionals and low-income social housing tenants, between older, low-income residents and younger, middle-class residents, between diverse ethnic and social class groups sharing a neighborhood, and between private and public housing residents. Chapters also vary on the tools used to create social mix, from local non-for-profit initiatives, a national policy intervention, and urban policies that aim to enhance social mix. Lastly, the book shows the range of analytical tools researchers have used to understand the diverse appearances of social mix, its underlying goals, and its consequent outcomes. These include comparative analyses of social mix in diverse national and political settings, including the Global East, an evaluation of social mix from the perspective of social justice, a historical analysis of the development of an urban district, and a design analysis of urban renewal projects.

The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Journal of Urban Affairs.

Anna Maria Santiago is Administrator, Researcher, Professor, and Community Practitioner at Michigan State University (USA) whose interests focus on how housing and social welfare policies and programs can be used to reduce the social and economic disparities experienced by vulnerable, minoritized families and children residing in urban areas.

Iris Levin is Architect, Urban Planner, Lecturer, and Researcher at RMIT University (Australia) whose interests focus on housing, social mix, social planning, migration, and social diversity in cities. She is passionate about working with diverse communities and understanding the effects of migration on the built environment.

Kathy Arthursonholds the Full Academic Status at Flinders University of South Australia since 2017. Her research primarily focuses on the interdisciplinary field of housing, incorporating scholarship in the disciplines of urban planning, public health and social policy.