Publishers Weekly
04/24/2023
Kahlenberg (coauthor, A Smarter Charter), a researcher on education and housing policy, argues in this comprehensive study that “state-sponsored economic discrimination” has replaced racial discrimination as the main contributor to residential segregation in America. According to Kahlenberg, when affluent, often liberal communities prohibit accessory dwelling units, impose density restrictions, require housing to be built on large lots, set onerous parking requirements, and impose other “exclusionary zoning” regulations, they help maintain racial segregation and prevent lower-income families from moving into neighborhoods with good schools and into cities with employment opportunities. To remedy the problem, Kahlenberg advocates for the Economic Fair Housing Act, which would make it “illegal for government zoning to discriminate on the basis of income”; calls on the federal government to commit more money to subsidizing the construction of affordable housing; and draws hope from successful efforts in California, Oregon, and Charlotte, N.C., to replace single-family zoning with zoning that allows for multifamily housing units. Kahlenberg persuasively addresses concerns from both the right and the left, and stuffs the book with an abundance of research. It’s a valuable guide to fixing one of America’s most enduring social ills. Agent: Lisa Adams, Garamond. (July)
From the Publisher
A valuable guide to fixing one of America’s most enduring social ills.”—Publishers Weekly
“A thoughtful, worthy argument for fair-housing reforms that are truly fair.” —Kirkus
“In this brilliant book, Richard Kahlenberg deftly integrates quantitative and qualitative evidence to illuminate the basic theme of his career and one of the central controversies in contemporary America—how to reconcile the tension between class and race. More specifically, he shows how ‘snob zoning’ leads to segregation by both race and class and thus blocks opportunity for all Americans. Nevertheless, it is ultimately an optimistic book, showing necessary reforms are both technically feasible and politically possible. He eloquently evokes the final dream of both Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy, uniting working-class whites and people of color in a single coalition for reform.”—Robert D. Putnam, research professor, Harvard Kennedy School, and author of Bowling Alone and The Upswing
“Kahlenberg, in his profound new book Excluded, exposes the hidden class injuries of exclusionary zoning. Once you see the terrible toll of this socially permissible form of discrimination, you won’t be able to unsee it. It will change the way you think about your society and about the proper goals of a progressive politics.”—Ruy Teixeira, senior fellow, American Enterprise Institute
“Kahlenberg’s in-depth exploration into the history of America’s exclusionary housing policies is required reading for anyone interested in understanding the housing affordability crisis in the United States and its ripple effects throughout society. Our communities and citizens alike would be better off if every policymaker took the time to read through this exquisite undertaking, where Mr. Kahlenberg uses real-life examples and expert analysis to provide essential insight into one of the most important, complex challenges facing our nation.”—Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II
“I loved reading Excluded. It addresses the great unfinished business of the civil rights movement: inequality in housing, which perpetuates inequality in schooling. Kahlenberg’s practical proposals would give civil-rights lawyers the tools they need to fight persistent and deeply harmful practices that segregate Americans by race and class.”—John Brittain, former chief counsel, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights
“Kahlenberg’s assessment of the causes, implications, and cures for class-based residential segregation is must-reading for all those interested in urban policy and politics. His analysis is highly accessible and engaging, while rigorous and well-grounded in the latest research. Most importantly, he offers an unusually thorough and insightful prescription for breaking down the barriers posed by exclusionary zoning, not just to people of color, but to all lower income families.”—Vicki Been, NYU School of Law
“A very worthy book of contemporary and historical relevance.” —Booklist
Kirkus Reviews
2023-04-12
Provocative study of how institutional measures reinforce inequality of opportunity in housing and other aspects of daily life.
Across the U.S., writes attorney and activist Kahlenberg, “zoning laws prohibit the construction of multifamily units” that are economically accessible to low-income families. Many municipalities issue regulations on minimum lot sizes, again sorting out the cash-poor who might be able to afford small homes on small pieces of land. The effect, Kahlenberg argues, is that, while to all superficial appearances overt racial discrimination is declining, economic discrimination is rising—and economic discrimination, of course, disproportionately affects minorities, and it’s entirely legal. The result, one researcher concludes, is “incipient class apartheid.” What the author calls “snob zoning” is an obstacle to equal opportunity: It not only blocks those of lesser means from large parts of any given community, but also discourages the ability to purchase a home and build the intergenerational wealth that comes from equity. Kahlenberg notes that districts with the highest rates of postwar Black migration are those with the most stringent regulations, as with one San Jose–area suburb that for years has forbidden anything but single-family-home construction. While the author allows that “some zoning regulations are essential” and that reforming discriminatory zoning laws is not the only remedy, it would make a good start, especially in a time when home ownership has lost some of its previous political clout. As evidence, Kahlenberg cites Trump-era cuts in mortgage-interest deductions even as Trump warned that Biden’s policies, if elected, would “allow ‘low-income housing’ to ‘invade’ suburban neighborhoods.” Suburban voters didn’t bite, and the author holds out hope that they will be amenable to further zoning reforms that, as he notes, would have the effect of building more diverse communities, which would promote “a more cohesive, less polarized democracy.”
A thoughtful, worthy argument for fair-housing reforms that are truly fair.
