A Right to Housing:

Foundation for a New Social Agenda

by Rachel Bratt (Editor), Michael Stone (Editor), Chester Hartman (Editor)

"This book is a good overview for academics, practitioners, and students interested in issues pertaining to housing and community development. The book alternates between quantitative analyses, policy analyses, and advocacy, laying the groundwork for the Right to Housing that, for many years, has not been considered seriously enough...This book is a timely contribution to future policy debate." The Journal of Planning Literature. "It is then both timely and useful to have a group of insightful, seasoned analysts remind us of the details of our collective failures and our potential policy options. At its strongest, their book is a sensible and critical overview of core U.S. housing needs, problems, and options that can be effectively used in graduate housing, policy and planning courses. Moreover, the collective effect of this book is to vivify the long-term need for decent housing as an unavoidable political right and not a policy anomaly." Journal of Regional Science "All of the papers are informative and interesting...The many strengths of the book are its clarity and its comprehensiveness, so that one gets a real feel for housing in the US housing policy." The Journal of Housing and the Built Environment July 2007 issue "This book does an excellent job of taking into account this broader notion of housing, while remaining focused on those in poverty or with disabilities who are in dire need of affordable, safe housing. Particularly commendable is the overview of the various functions of housing...The volume is ideal reading for any advocate, researcher, or student interested in the notion of a right to housing, safe housing, or affordable housing. It is a treasure trove of statistics, policy history, and policy proposals for a more progressive housing model in America. This book is highly recommended!" Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare "In A Right to Housing, several of the most distinguished housing scholars come together in a single, well-edited volume, and argue that the United States government has both the resources and the obligation to ensure that all Americans live in decent, safe, and affordable housing...Overall, the volume offers an engaging blend of quantitative analysis, history, and advocacy. All of the authors are leading experts in the housing field, and the chapters are uniformly well written and provide a wealth of information. The detailed references also make it a valuable resource for housing scholarship. As such, the book provides an excellent overview of housing issues through a critical and social justice lens, and would make an excellent reader in a high-level undergraduate or graduate seminar on housing issues in the US." Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy