What is an Opportunity Enthusiast to Do?

Abstract

David Imbroscio offers a useful pushback against groupthink among scholars studying neighborhood opportunity, even if I quibble with the details. Imbroscio sometimes conflates problem definition with solution feasibility, and ultimately points to some solutions to economic inequality that may be even less feasible than those offered by the opportunity enthusiasts. Further, the broader problems of economic inequality are well known to housing scholars, but often lie outside their scope and expertise. Imbroscio does push the field to put community wealth building institutions and options more central to housing and neighborhood scholarship and policy, which bridges macroeconomic issues with neighborhood inequality ones.

Keywords:

• Neighborhood
• housing
• segregation

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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Michael C. Lens

Michael C. Lens is associate professor of urban planning and public policy at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. His teaching and research evaluate the potential for housing policy to reduce segregation and resource inequality.