A Tale of Two Cities: Housing Policy and Gentrification in London and New York

ABSTRACT:

This paper presents the results of a comparative study of neighborhood change. It was performed to test the proposition that political structures mediate political outcomes. The efficacy of different political structures in formulating and executing policies and the variety of those responses to similar conditions are the subject of this report. The study investigates the role of public policy in areas subject to the conditions generally associated with gentrification. Four neighborhoods were chosen, two in New York and two in London. In each community, faced with rapid change, efforts were made to influence demographic trends through housing policy, although the sources and mechanisms of such policy often were dissimilar. The research analyzed the policies adopted in each community in terms of their own goals and evaluated the extent to which population was stabilized and housing conditions were improved.