Event Summary
On September 9, AEI’s Howard Husock discussed his new book, The Projects: A New History of Public Housing, in which he traces the troubled history of American public housing and its consequences for low-income communities. He explained that public housing was not born from grassroots demand but from New York intellectuals and political elites, with the 1937 Housing Act enabling racially segregated “slum clearance.” President Harry S. Truman and later modernist planners such as Robert Moses expanded these efforts, displacing African American neighborhoods and stripping them of the long-term wealth that private property ownership could have provided.
Mr. Husock described the early golden age of public housing—when projects offered low rents, work requirements, and conditions that rivaled private housing—before a shift in policy and demographics transformed developments into enclaves of concentrated poverty. He emphasized how rent structures, which rise with income, now create disincentives for upward mobility.
Critiquing contemporary proposals to entrench public housing as an entitlement, Mr. Husock argued that reformers have historically misunderstood communities by focusing narrowly on physical housing stock rather than social and cultural wealth. He urged policymakers to look beyond repair and reform toward solutions that foster ownership, mobility, and opportunity, setting a new foundation for housing policy in America.
—Hadar Zeevi
Event Description
In his timely new book—The Projects: A New History of Public Housing—AEI’s Howard Husock traces the rise and fall of America’s public housing system, from its idealistic beginnings to its unintended consequences for low-income communities. Drawing on history, resident voices, and contemporary policy debates, Mr. Husock argues for a new foundation for housing reform and upward mobility.
Join us for a conversation with AEI’s Matthew Continetti and Mr. Husock about The Projects.
Event Transcript
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