Investing (in) equity : how can urban development internalize social cost?

Abstract

This thesis recognizes the social costs created by privately driven urban development while also acknowledging cities' fiscal dependence on local property taxes. This study is based on the premise that equitable spatial distribution of affordable housing can alter existing social perceptions and norms while providing a better quality of life to residents with less income capacity. Using as case studies the linkage and inclusionary policies in Boston, this thesis advocates for the need to include spatial emphasis in policies related to urban development. This proposal derives from an analysis and findings that show the concentration of affordable housing in some of the city's most impoverished neighborhoods. Based on the goals of income integration and poverty deconcentration as framed by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development and by the Mayor's agenda for the City of Boston, I examine income integration patterns in the city through time and analyze how affordable housing created with the assistance of linkage funds and though the inclusionary policy has supported or refuted prevailing spatial income patterns in the city. Although this thesis ultimately questions whether income integration is the appropriate goal for fostering spatial equity, it offers policy reform suggestions that could support a greater "geography of opportunity" for the city's lower and middle- income residents. The recommended policy reforms extend beyond these two policies in order to question the larger urban development regime and the role of local level government interventions.