Affordable Housing
The conditions in which the Irish immigrants were living in were basically low standard slums.[1] They were not very sanitary at all and several of them could be found cramped up in smaller lots.[1] However, this is all that the immigrants could afford and it was so conveniently located near to the industrial and commercial districts.[2] It is here where they could easily find work though for a relatively low pay.[3] The inhabitants of Boston, especially the Yankees, began to associate these industrial and commercial districts with lower income and ethnically unwanted people just because of the poor standards of living and the mere fact that the community was dominated by Irish. This led the Yankees to desire to flee away from the Irish as far as possible but still be within the boundaries of the city; thus the mass migration of Yankees also known as the era’s massive suburbanization.[5]
Keeping all of this in mind, the city’s government wanted to figure out a way to improve the lower income housing so that the living standards would at least be sub par, but without compromising the more expensive housing that seemed more deserving of the privileged such as the Yankees.[5] The city government believed that public housing would be an innovative permanent substitute for Boston’s slums.[5] They wanted to keep a separation of housing in that a separation of classes would still be distinct, because that’s what kept the higher income residents happy, but simultaneously offering affordable and decent living standards of housing for those of a lower income.[5] The first generation of public housing was implemented by the City of Boston and BHA (Boston Housing Authority) in 1938 and 1939. Some of these housing sites included Old Colony, Lenox Street, Bunker Hill, Maverick, and Heath Street. Some of the nation’s first public housing was established in Boston in 1938 with Mary Ellen McCormack homes and especially in Old Harbor of South Boston.
One method of maintaining the class distinctions within housing was through redlining.[6] Redlining is a practice developed by HOLC (Home Owners’ Loan Corporation) that rated communities based on its surrounding area but predominantly by the types of ethnicities living there.[6] The communities that included mainly minorities were classified as undesirable housing while housing inhabited by Yankees for instance were usually the areas that were rated higher and recommended as the better housing.
Another method that reinforced the divide between the Yankees and Irish is known as zoning.[7] With zoning, city planners divide a region into parts where each part is designed to have different land uses from another.[7] During this era, zoning was used more to design where to place the various ethnic communities found within the city.[7] Additionally part of the decisions planners had to make when zoning Boston was where to place the affordable housing communities.
One more method of separating ethnic communities from one another was through covenants made between owner and renter.[7] Owners tended to demonstrate favoritism towards particular types of renters often based on their income and race.[7] It was common for owners to pick racial majorities over minorities as their renters because they were believed to be more reliable and would not devalue the property.[7] The value of a property highly depended on the dominant race in the community.[7]
To implement public affordable housing, one process known as gentrification was institutionalized practiced.[7] However this often displaced minorities out of their limited housing unwillinglywithout choice.[5] Through gentrification the government could decide that they would want to improve a certain community of housing by renovating it.[6] However, renovating a community often places the value of the property higher. When the value is increased, generally so is the price. It is common in gentrification that once the property is increased, the original inhabitants of the housing cannot afford the new housing prices and must find another place to live. Thus a full circle is created. The renovations were put in place in order to try to improve living standards for the lower income residents, but in the end they are evicted because they cannot afford the new value of the property.
One method of maintaining the class distinctions within housing was through redlining.[6] Redlining is a practice developed by HOLC (Home Owners’ Loan Corporation) that rated communities based on its surrounding area but predominantly by the types of ethnicities living there.[6] The communities that included mainly minorities were classified as undesirable housing while housing inhabited by Yankees for instance were usually the areas that were rated higher and recommended as the better housing.
Another method that reinforced the divide between the Yankees and Irish is known as zoning.[7] With zoning, city planners divide a region into parts where each part is designed to have different land uses from another.[7] During this era, zoning was used more to design where to place the various ethnic communities found within the city.[7] Additionally part of the decisions planners had to make when zoning Boston was where to place the affordable housing communities.
One more method of separating ethnic communities from one another was through covenants made between owner and renter.[7] Owners tended to demonstrate favoritism towards particular types of renters often based on their income and race.[7] It was common for owners to pick racial majorities over minorities as their renters because they were believed to be more reliable and would not devalue the property.[7] The value of a property highly depended on the dominant race in the community.[7]
To implement public affordable housing, one process known as gentrification was institutionalized practiced.[7] However this often displaced minorities out of their limited housing unwillinglywithout choice.[5] Through gentrification the government could decide that they would want to improve a certain community of housing by renovating it.[6] However, renovating a community often places the value of the property higher. When the value is increased, generally so is the price. It is common in gentrification that once the property is increased, the original inhabitants of the housing cannot afford the new housing prices and must find another place to live. Thus a full circle is created. The renovations were put in place in order to try to improve living standards for the lower income residents, but in the end they are evicted because they cannot afford the new value of the property.
References:
1. O'Connor, T. H. (1995). The Boston Irish: A Political History. Boston: Northeastern University Press.
2. Carr, J. B. (2005). After the Siege - A Social History of Boston 1775-1800. Boston: Northeaster University Press.
3. Huse, C. P. (1916). The Financial History of Boston. New York: Harvard University Press.
4. 1880-1920: Transformation | People, Places & Planning in Boston. (n.d.). People, Places &
Planning in Boston. Retrieved February 13, 2013, from http://planningboston.org/eras/1880-1920/
5. Affordable Housing | People, Places & Planning in Boston. (n.d.). People, Places & Planning in Boston. Retrieved February 13, 2013, from http://planningboston.org/planning/affordable-housing/
6. Trout, C. H. (1977). Boston, The Great Depression, and the New Deal. New York: Oxford University Press.
7. LeGates, R. T., & Stout, F. (1996). The City Reader (Fifth Edition ed.). London and New York: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group.
Figure 3. View Of A Boston Slum Area News Photo | Getty Images | 50623543 . (n.d.). Stock Photos, Royalty-Free Images, Video Footage and Music | Getty Images . Retrieved March 5, 2013, from http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/view-of-a-boston-slum-area-news-photo/50623543
1. O'Connor, T. H. (1995). The Boston Irish: A Political History. Boston: Northeastern University Press.
2. Carr, J. B. (2005). After the Siege - A Social History of Boston 1775-1800. Boston: Northeaster University Press.
3. Huse, C. P. (1916). The Financial History of Boston. New York: Harvard University Press.
4. 1880-1920: Transformation | People, Places & Planning in Boston. (n.d.). People, Places &
Planning in Boston. Retrieved February 13, 2013, from http://planningboston.org/eras/1880-1920/
5. Affordable Housing | People, Places & Planning in Boston. (n.d.). People, Places & Planning in Boston. Retrieved February 13, 2013, from http://planningboston.org/planning/affordable-housing/
6. Trout, C. H. (1977). Boston, The Great Depression, and the New Deal. New York: Oxford University Press.
7. LeGates, R. T., & Stout, F. (1996). The City Reader (Fifth Edition ed.). London and New York: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group.
Figure 3. View Of A Boston Slum Area News Photo | Getty Images | 50623543 . (n.d.). Stock Photos, Royalty-Free Images, Video Footage and Music | Getty Images . Retrieved March 5, 2013, from http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/view-of-a-boston-slum-area-news-photo/50623543