John Atlas

US housing problems, politics and policies in the 1990s

Abstract Housing policy in the US reflects its general approach to economic and social problems. Among all western democracies, the US relies most on private market forces to provide housing for its population. American housing policy emphasises bolstering market forces and minimising assistance for the poor. Despite its significant achievements (for example, two out of every three American households now owns its dwelling), the US is now facing a severe housing crisis, not only for the poor, but for a sizeable portion of the troubled middle class. To guarantee every American an opportunity to live in decent, safe and affordable housing, the US has to change national priorities and spend more on housing. But it also must spend better: reduce development costs, eliminate bureaucratic waste, and target assistance more efficiently. Following a review of past and current housing programmes, we outline a progressive housing policy agenda and then discuss the political obstacles and opportunities that confront ...

The Wire: Bush-Era Fable about America's Urban Poor?

No television show about urban life has received as much praise as The Wire, a dramatic series about Baltimore that was broadcast on HBO for 5 years, ending in 2008. The entire show is now available in a five-CD set. Although not a major commercial success with viewers, it was a huge hit with critics, who applauded its gritty depiction of urban life. The show won praise from reviewers across the political spectrum—from the New York Times to the Wall Street Journal , from the liberal American Prospect to the libertarian Reason magazine. Jack Dumphy, a columnist for the right-wing National Review, wrote that The Wire is “still the best show on television.” Slate’s Jacob Weisberg called it “ . . . the best TV show ever broadcast in America.” Novelist Stephen King, writing in Entertainment Weekly, called the show “a staggering achievement.” The show was a sociological treasure chest. The main focus of The Wire was life on the mean streets of Baltimore’s inner city, especially its African American neighborhoods, and particularly the world of the gangs that controlled the city’s drug trade. But each season, the show focused on a different aspect of life in Baltimore—the police, the docks, City Hall, the schools, and the daily newspaper. The show juggled over 65 vivid characters. The large ensemble cast (disproportionately African American actors) included cops, teachers, reporters, drug dealers, dockworkers, politicians, and other characters in the real dramas of a major American city. Each year of the show, at least 25 of the characters had important parts. The writers wove these settings and characters into the show throughout its 5-year run. As a result, viewers got a sense of how people were shaped by the larger system—their relationships with each other and with the web of institutions. This wasn’t just a formulaic cops-robbers-and-lawyers show (like Law & Order). Some critics compared The Wire to a great literary novel. Unpredictable plot twists, deft foreshadowing, and complex characters justify that judgment. Like most great stories, the main characters were morally ambiguous, but so finely etched that we cared about them. Even the gangsters were complex personalities, not the stereotypes typical of TV crime dramas. We ended up taking sides in gangland battles, rooting for Omar, Proposition Joe, and Bodie, and wanting Marlo annihilated. Unlike other TV crime shows, The Wire

How to Expand Homeownership for More Americans

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Lessons from the Right's Attacks on ACORN and Planned Parenthood

The conservative offensive against these two groups was no accident. In 2001, Grover Norquist, head of Americans for Tax Reform, penned an American Spectator magazine article that outlined a strategy to undermine the Democratic Party and block progressive taxes and regulations on businesses that upset his corporate clients. It called for destroying the “five pillars” of the Democratic Party—unions, trial lawyers, big city mayors, voter registration groups, and progressive groups that receive foundation and federal funding.