Course Description

This course will provide a fundamental understanding of the policies and conceptual frameworks that have guided and determined our national community development and housing policies. It will introduce key concepts, initiatives, and evaluations of past efforts to inform our ability to design and support strong, viable communities for all. The first half of the course will concentrate on community development strategies and policies and practices employed by both public and not-for-profit organizations. We will examine what it means to have a seamless system of community development efforts. The housing portion of the course will include the bricks-and-mortar efforts of public and private agencies to make more affordable housing available but will also address the stabilization effect of housing on neighborhoods and families. Communities thrive when effective public policies are joined with a variety of local and regional initiatives. A flaw in community development and housing efforts historically has been too little attention to what worked, what didn’t, and why. This course will address these questions.

Requirements

Students will be evaluated using three primary means: exams and writing (25%), class participation (25%), and issue analysis and presentation (50%).

Readings

Ferguson, R. and Dickens, W. (eds.) Urban Problems and Community Development. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press, 1999. Schwartz, A. Housing Policy in the United States. New York: Routledge, 2009. Morse, S. Smart Communities: How Citizens and Local Leaders Can Build a Brighter Future. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2004.