School of Policy, Planning, and Development
University of Southern California
PPD 439: Housing & Community Development (Fall 2009)
4 units
Instructor: Jan Breidenbach
Time and Classroom: Tuesdays, 6:00 – 9:20 pm, VKC 260
Office: Room 107-A, 1st Floor, Lewis Hall; Office Hours: By appointment
Email and phone: . (323-662-7512)
PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES
This course is a study in both housing and community development policies and programs. Through the course, students will gain an understanding of the history of place-based policies and programs, how these are the result of contending political forces and how they are implemented on the ground. Students will gain an understanding of various strategies and approaches being deployed by practitioners and advocates to craft housing and community development policies, and gain an appreciation of the tensions and contradictions between the ideals of the individual “home” and the collective “community”. Students will gain experience in articulating policy positions, conducting practitioner-based research, keeping up with assignments and “siting” housing and community development in a larger political and historical context.
The course is a combination of lecture, readings, speakers and in-class exercises. The semester has been divided into different sections. We will begin with what is happening “right now”, the combined crises of climate and the economy. We’ll look specifically at the response by the state of California to the climate crisis (SB 375) and its housing implications, then explore the causes and ramifications of the financial meltdown that was triggered by structural problems in our housing market and system of housing finance. We’ll then go into a discussion of “affordable” housing—housing that is partially subsidized by public funds and which is accessible to low-income people. We’ll look at the housing itself as well as how it is financed. Next we’ll explore community development beyond housing—job creation, economic development and more, using farmers markets and food as our case study. Lastly, we’ll take a look at how all these things happen, particularly in LA.
REQUIRED TEXTS AND READINGS
The readings for this course will be available through electronic reserves, the Web, Blackboard or Leavey Library reserves. In some cases, readings placed on electronic reserves are time-limited, so it is up to the students to make sure you access them in a timely fashion. From time to time, more pertinent or relevant articles or reports are published on a session’s topic, in which case the syllabus will change slightly. Any changes will be announced in class in plenty of time to access the new readings.
There are approximately 60 pages of reading material per week. Some texts are more complicated and dense, others are lighter and although a number are from academic journals and texts, they were chosen for their accessibility to a lay audience. I will not lecture to the readings, but refer to them in class and spend any class time necessary to explain any questions students have. It is important to keep up with the readings, as they are the basis of 50% of the course grade.
EXPECTATIONS
The course meets once/week. Your grade will be determined by a combination of attendance, participation, and completion of assignments. Because students learn in different ways, there are a variety of assignments. They all have “points” that are equal to their percentage of the total grade (100 “points”). These are allocated as follows:
Participation (5%): I realize that some students are vocal participants and some learn more quietly, so participation is evaluated by attendance as well as involvement in class interaction.
Grading: This part of the total grade starts with full points that are reduced for any use of technology in the classroom that is not required by the course. If you find you need to use class time for personal business, then it is strongly suggested you drop it. NO web-surfing, texting or other personal activity in class.
“Op-Ed” (15%) Students will write one “op-ed” (opinion piece published in the editorial section of a newspaper) of no more than 1000 words (about 3+/- pages). These papers are for you to take an idea stemming from the course, think about it and outline a position on it. There is no “right or wrong” in what you write but you must take a position. The Op-Ed is due December 1. Print the word count at the end of the article.
Grading: Grading will be based on the coherency of thought and your ability to make an argument for your ideas. These papers will be reviewed for spelling, grammar, complete sentences, etc. If you have difficulty writing, you should talk with me or explore campus tutoring. Papers that simply repeat the same idea several times will not fare well here.
New analyses (15%): Students are required to read and analyze a topical news article. You will do this three times in the semester. The article must relate to planning, land use or urban development issues. Find and read the article and write a 350-word (about +/- one page) analysis of the article. Do NOT summarize the article. You may use any of the mainstream media (LA Times, NY Times, Wall Street Journal, Time, Newsweek, etc.). The article must be recent, do not search archives. Do not use blogs or planning network sites (such as Planetizen—these are terrific but the point of this exercise is to see how urban development issues are addressed outside the world of planning). Attach the printed article or a print-out if it’s from the web, to your analysis.
The analysis should include:
· The topic
· The relevance of the topic to this course (i.e., to the process of urban development)
· The “slant” of the article (political, ideological)
Grading: The grade is based on the level of analysis presented and the relevance of the article topic to the course. Look for interesting stories that relate but also add something new to your knowledge. The dates these are due are: September 15, October 13 and November 10.
‘Field Trip’ & Report (15%): On Friday, September 25, 9:00 am, Barbara Sard, the Senior Advisor to the Secretary for Rental Housing at HUD (US Dept of Housing & Urban Development) is speaking at the annual conference of the So CA Assoc of Non-Profit Housing (SCANPH). Sard has been a long-time affordable housing advocate and is an expert in federal housing policy, specifically Section 8 vouchers. Arrangements have been made for PPD439 students to attend her talk. It will be at the Wilshire Grand Hotel, corner of Wilshire & Figueroa (with another entrance on 7th). The talk will last about 40 minutes.
After the talk, students will write a short analysis of her presentation, placing her talk within a larger context of ownership and rental housing (class topic two weeks prior) and the history of federal housing policy (class topic the same week). Use her talk and the readings to date. The analysis should be no more than 1000 words (+/- 2 pages) and is due the following Tuesday, September 29.
Bi-weekly Quizzes. (25%). There will be five quizzes. They will be short and very specific to the readings. You will be allowed to drop the lowest grade of the five – only four will count. I do not allow make-up quizzes so you’re covered if something happens and you miss one. The quizzes are at the end of the class and include reading for that class.
Final (25%). There will be an in-class final. It will be split into two sections: a set of identifications and essay questions. It will cover the entire semester.
Important information on written assignments. All written assignments must meet the following criteria:
· Typed, doubled-spaced. I prefer Times New Roman with a 1-inch margin but there is a word requirement rather than a page requirement so you can choose your format. In the interests of sustainability do not add a cover page. You may print on both sides of the paper or re-use paper.
· Bring your assignments to class. Do not email them to me.
· Late assignments are reduced by one-half grade for every class meeting that passes (i.e., something due on a Tuesday and turned in on Thursday is reduced by one-half grade, if it is turned in the following Tuesday, it’s another half-grade reduction).
· Spelling, punctuation and grammar are important in policy and planning. Make sure you proof your papers; your grade will reflect poor wordcraft.
COURSE OUTLINE AND SCHEDULE
Note: From time to time better or timelier readings become available, so the syllabus may change slightly as the course progresses. Any changes are announced and the new readings posted.
Week 1, August 25: Introduction & setting the scene of the dual crises
Introduction to the course and discussion of housing and community development. The readings will be included in later exams so although you’re not expected to have read them the first night, they are required.
· (Electronic & Leavey Reserves) “From Better Dwellings to Better Neighborhoods: The Rise and Fall of the First National Housing Movement” (Robert Fairbanks) in Bauman, et al. From Tenements to the Taylor Homes, 2001. p. 21-42
· (Blackboard) “The Case for a Right to Housing” (Chester Hartmann) Shelterforce, Issue 146, Winter, 2006. (www.nhi.org)
Week 2, September 1: The Climate Crisis
The biggest issue facing anyone interested or involved in urban development is the impact of climate change on how we build and how we live. The biggest issue facing planners interested or involved in urban development is the impact of climate change. Simply put, climate change is the overarching process that will impact every part of your lives in the decades to come. The thread of sustainability that winds through this course is pulled out here to focus on it specifically and set the conceptual parameters of our conversations. Since it is an overwhelming topic, we’ll limit our discussion to SB 375, some upcoming federal legislation—and their land use and housing ramifications.
· (Online) Communities Tackle Global Warming: A Guide to California’s SB 375 (T. Adams, A. Eaken & A. Notthoff), 2009, NRDC & A League of Conservation Voters. Access at www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/sb375. 32 pp.
· (Blackboard) Green LA: An Action Plan to Lead the Nation in Fighting Global Warming (City of Los Angeles). 2007. 28 pp.
· (Blackboard) Senate Bill 375 Fact Sheet. 1 page.
· (Blackboard) News Release: “Shelley Poticha Appointd as HUD Senior Advisor For Sustainable Housing & Communities” (HUD), 7-24-09.
Week 3. September 8: The Mortgage Crisis
QUIZ # 1
The biggest policy issue in housing is how it is financed, and how this process works. This class will start with an overview of the way we pay for housing that will set the scene for the rest of the semester. 69
· (Electronic & Leavey Reserves) The Pernicious Problems of Housing Finance (Michael Stone) (Chapter 4). 2006. In Bratt, et al, A Right to Housing: Foundation for a New Social Agenda, pp 82-104.
· (Blackboard) Beyond the Mortgage Meltdown: Addressing the Current Crisis, Avoiding a Future Catastrophe (J. Lardner) Demos, 2008, 27 pp.
· (Blackboard) The Giant Pool of Money, Transcript from This American Life. Aired on NPR 5/9/08.
· (Blackboard) Recommended but not required. Another Frightening Show about the Economy, Transcript from This American Life. Aired on NPR 10/3/08.
Week 4, September 15: Ownership and Rental Housing
NEWS ANALYSIS # 1 DUE
The mortgage crisis raises questions about homeownership in our culture. Is homeownership, in fact, the most appropriate form of housing tenure? What does it mean to own a home? What about tenants, their rights and privileges vis-à-vis owners?
· (Electronic & Leavey Reserves) The History of a Movement and an Ideology (Chapter 1) (A. Heskin), Tenants and the American Dream: Ideology and the Tenant Movement, 31 pps, 1983.
· (Blackboard). Has Homeownership Been Oversold? (Winton Pitcoff), Shelterforce, 127, January/February 2003.
· (Blackboard) The Right to Rent Plan (D. Baker), Ctr for Econ. & Policy Research, 2009. 2 pp.
· (Electronic reserves) “Tenants no More” (chapter 8) in Our Lot: How Real Estate Came to Own Us, (A. Katz), 2009. Pp 185-212.
· (Blackboard” Home Not-so-sweet-Home (P. Krugman) NY Times, 6/23/08.
Week 5, September 22: Federal Housing Policy
After discussing the immediate issues (and crises) we’re facing, we’ll go back and review some policy—how did our policies get us here? And what are they now?
· (Blackboard) The Evolution of Low-Income Housing Policy, 1949-1999 (C. Orlebeke), 2000. Housing Policy Debate, vol. 11, #2, pp 489-502
· (Blackboard) Encouraging Homeownership through the Tax Code (W. Gale, et al). Tax Notes. 2007, 19 pp.
· (Blackboard) A Decade of Neglect Has Weakened Federal Low-Income Housing Programs (D. Rice & B. Sard), 2009. Center for Budget & Policies Priorities, pp 1-29.
· (Blackboard) The Housing Change We Need, (P. Marcuse), Shelterforce, 12/08, 3.5 pp.
NOTE: This is also the week of the annual conference of the So CA Association of Non-Profit Housing (SCANPH). The following Friday students are expected to attend the morning plenary of the annual SCANPH affordable housing conference and hear Senior HUD Advisor Barbara Sard speak.