Climbing Mount Laurel: The Struggle for Affordable Housing and Social Mobility in an American Suburb - Paperback

by Douglas S. Massey (Author), Len Albright (Author), Rebecca Casciano (Author)

A close look at the aftereffects of the Mount Laurel affordable housing decision

Under the New Jersey State Constitution as interpreted by the State Supreme Court in 1975 and 1983, municipalities are required to use their zoning authority to create realistic opportunities for a fair share of affordable housing for low- and moderate-income households. Mount Laurel was the town at the center of the court decisions. As a result, Mount Laurel has become synonymous with the debate over affordable housing policy designed to create economically integrated communities. What was the impact of the Mount Laurel decision on those most affected by it? What does the case tell us about economic inequality?

Climbing Mount Laurel undertakes a systematic evaluation of the Ethel Lawrence Homes--a housing development produced as a result of the Mount Laurel decision. Douglas Massey and his colleagues assess the consequences for the surrounding neighborhoods and their inhabitants, the township of Mount Laurel, and the residents of the Ethel Lawrence Homes. Their analysis reveals what social scientists call neighborhood effects--the notion that neighborhoods can shape the life trajectories of their inhabitants. Climbing Mount Laurel proves that the building of affordable housing projects is an efficacious, cost-effective approach to integration and improving the lives of the poor, with reasonable cost and no drawbacks for the community at large.

Back Jacket

"Exploring the impact of an affordable housing development in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, this book provides new and innovative methodologies for examining key theoretical and public policy issues that have been the subject of intensive debate. It will be useful to scholars, public officials, and others interested in the way American communities develop in the face of increasing diversity and inequalities."--Gregory Squires, George Washington University

"Ably linking social science, legal analysis, and policy discussion together, Climbing Mount Laurel is a much-needed book."--John Goering, City University of New York, Graduate Center

Author Biography

Douglas S. Massey is the Henry G. Bryant Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs at Princeton University and director of its Office of Population Research. Len Albright is assistant professor of sociology at Northeastern University. Rebecca Casciano is the CEO of Rebecca Casciano, LLC. Elizabeth Derickson is a doctoral candidate in sociology at Princeton University. David N. Kinsey is lecturer of public and international affairs at Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School and a partner in the planning consulting firm Kinsey & Hand.