The Politics of Housing and Community Development

Catalog description

This course offers an exploration of how legislative action, government policymaking, and citizen advocacy influence plans for the investment of public capital in distressed urban neighborhoods. Course topics this semester will include an evaluation of the results of City of Philadelphia development policies under the eight-year administration of outgoing Mayor James F. Kenney, who will be leaving office in January, 2024. The course will also include an assessment of large-scale property acquisition and development strategies undertaken by the Philadelphia Housing Authority (in North Philadelphia), by Drexel University (in West Philadelphia), and by the Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation (on a citywide basis), as well as a review of recent and current reinvestment proposals for Camden's waterfront and downtown-area neighborhoods.