RESOURCES
An evolving resource list to inspire reflection and action.
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Atlas, Caron et al. “Creative Transformations: Stories, Learnings, and Recommendations to Support Arts, Culture, and Public Housing Communities.” Naturally Occurring Cultural Districts. May 31, 2019. ︎︎︎
Bendiner-Viani, Gabrielle. Contested City: Art and Public History as Mediation in New York’s Seward Park Urban Renewal Area. Iowa City, IA: University of Iowa Press, 2019.
A book chronicling 50 years of activism for affordability and justice on New York’s Lower East Side. The book underscores the enduring impact of urban renewal and slum clearance programs, federal programs closely tied to the creation of public housing complexes in many US cities.
Bloom, Nicholas Dagen. Public Housing that Worked: New York in the 20th Century. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2009.
Brown, Ashley et al. Hope VI, Colonization, and the Production of Difference. Urban Affairs Review, 49 (July 2013): pp. 525-556.
Bauer, Catherine. Modern Housing. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Co, 1934. A seminal text by Catherine Bauer who is considered one of the leading public housing advocates of the 20th century.
DiPrinzo, Harry. “Hundeds of NYCHA Evictions Raise Questions About Process.” City Limits. August 14, 2019. ︎︎︎
Bendiner-Viani, Gabrielle. Contested City: Art and Public History as Mediation in New York’s Seward Park Urban Renewal Area. Iowa City, IA: University of Iowa Press, 2019.
A book chronicling 50 years of activism for affordability and justice on New York’s Lower East Side. The book underscores the enduring impact of urban renewal and slum clearance programs, federal programs closely tied to the creation of public housing complexes in many US cities.
Bloom, Nicholas Dagen. Public Housing that Worked: New York in the 20th Century. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2009.
Brown, Ashley et al. Hope VI, Colonization, and the Production of Difference. Urban Affairs Review, 49 (July 2013): pp. 525-556.
Bauer, Catherine. Modern Housing. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Co, 1934. A seminal text by Catherine Bauer who is considered one of the leading public housing advocates of the 20th century.
DiPrinzo, Harry. “Hundeds of NYCHA Evictions Raise Questions About Process.” City Limits. August 14, 2019. ︎︎︎
Ferre-Sadurni, Luis. “The Rise and Fall of NYC Public Housing: An Oral History.” New York TImes. July 9, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/06/25/nyregion/new-york-city-public-housing-history.html
Goetz, Edward G. “Where Have all the Towers Gone?The Dismantling of Public Housing in US Cities.” Journal of Urban Affairs, 33 (March 2011): pp. 267-287. ︎︎︎
An academic article examining the demolition and selling off of public housing units in major US cities.
Hischorn, Tomas. Gramsci Monument. London, UK: Dia Art Foundation and Koenig Books, 2015.
Jenkins, Destin. The Politics of Housing Syllabus, 2018. ︎︎︎
A syllabus for a course examining the struggle of Americans to find and access housing from the late nineteenth century to present.
Ligon, Glenn. Housing in New York: A Brief History. New York, NY: MoMA PS1, 2016. ︎︎︎
Essays written by artist Glenn Ligon on his experiences living in NYC public housing. Published on the occasion of the 2015 Greater New York exhibition at MOMA PS1.
Goetz, Edward G. “Where Have all the Towers Gone?The Dismantling of Public Housing in US Cities.” Journal of Urban Affairs, 33 (March 2011): pp. 267-287. ︎︎︎
An academic article examining the demolition and selling off of public housing units in major US cities.
Hischorn, Tomas. Gramsci Monument. London, UK: Dia Art Foundation and Koenig Books, 2015.
Jenkins, Destin. The Politics of Housing Syllabus, 2018. ︎︎︎
A syllabus for a course examining the struggle of Americans to find and access housing from the late nineteenth century to present.
Ligon, Glenn. Housing in New York: A Brief History. New York, NY: MoMA PS1, 2016. ︎︎︎
Essays written by artist Glenn Ligon on his experiences living in NYC public housing. Published on the occasion of the 2015 Greater New York exhibition at MOMA PS1.
Plunz, Richard. A History of Housing in the United States. New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 2016.
Rothstein, Richard. The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America. New York, NY: Liveright Publishing, 2017. In Chapter 3, Rothstein explores how public housing programs begun under the New Deal were instrumental in reifying racial segregation.
Voice of Witness. High Rise Stories: Voices from Chicago Public Housing. Chicago, IL: Haymarket Books, 2013. ︎︎︎
A collection of first-person narratives edited by Audrey Petty of twelve former residents of now demolished Chicago public housing projects.
Williams, Rhonda Y. The Politics of Public Housing: Black Women’s Struggles Against Urban Inequality. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2005. This biography challenges and complicates many of the harmful stereotypes and policies that have pathologized poor Black women living in public housing.
Washington, Rico "Superbizzee" and Shino Yanagawa. “Life in Public Housing.” Narratively. August 15, 2013. ︎︎︎
“We Are Public Housing.” The Center for Urban Pedagogy. 2009. ︎︎︎
Rothstein, Richard. The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America. New York, NY: Liveright Publishing, 2017. In Chapter 3, Rothstein explores how public housing programs begun under the New Deal were instrumental in reifying racial segregation.
Voice of Witness. High Rise Stories: Voices from Chicago Public Housing. Chicago, IL: Haymarket Books, 2013. ︎︎︎
A collection of first-person narratives edited by Audrey Petty of twelve former residents of now demolished Chicago public housing projects.
Williams, Rhonda Y. The Politics of Public Housing: Black Women’s Struggles Against Urban Inequality. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2005. This biography challenges and complicates many of the harmful stereotypes and policies that have pathologized poor Black women living in public housing.
Washington, Rico "Superbizzee" and Shino Yanagawa. “Life in Public Housing.” Narratively. August 15, 2013. ︎︎︎
“We Are Public Housing.” The Center for Urban Pedagogy. 2009. ︎︎︎
ADVOCACY
Fight for NYCHA︎︎︎
Green New Deal for Public Housing︎︎︎
Right to Counsel NYC Coalition: Tenant Movement History Timeline︎︎︎
Right to Counsel is a coalition of housing justice organizers in NYC. This timeline, curriculum, and resource packet was made to accompany Right to Counsel, a bill that was signed into law in August 2017 after years of advocacy. RTC ensures that tenants who are sued for eviction in housing court, and who are income eligible, have a right to an attorney to defend their case. The policy extends to NYCHA tenants who have administrative hearings in households where the head of household is 62 or older.
Save Section 9︎︎︎
ARCHIVAL & STORYTELLING PROJECTS
Changing the Narrative︎︎︎
Interference Archive, We Won’t Move: Tenant Organizing in New York City (2015) ︎︎︎
A catalog to accompany the exhibition by the same title including ephemera related to housing struggles throughout NYC history.
LaGuardia & Wagner Archives︎︎︎
A central hub for primary source material about NYCHA.
My Projects Runway︎︎︎
Project Lives︎︎︎
A book showcasing images made by residents in a 2010-2013 participatory photography program.
TIMELINE
NYC Public Housing Historical Timeline by Ariana Allensworth, Asamia Diaby, and Pamela Phillips for Changing the Narrative︎︎︎
MAPS
NYCHA Development Map︎︎︎
NYCHA Interactive Artwork Map︎︎︎
FILM & MEDIA
Down the Project: The Crisis of Public Housing (1982)︎︎︎
A film made in the 1980s that profiles the trajectory of two public housing projects.
One NYCHA Podcast ︎︎︎
A podcast that highlights public housing issues and progress within NYC.
Mitchell, Matt. “Cyber Jim Crow: Virtual Public Housing and Poor Doors in Digital Security and Surveillance.” Eyeo Festival. 2017. ︎︎︎
A print and online publishing platform dedicated to amplifying a people’s history of public housing.
