Housing problems and prospects for blacks in Houston

Houston was considered the premier Sunbelt city in the 1970s. Much of the growth during this boom period was fueled by the oil industry. The city led the nation in new jobs created and housing starts. The economic growth, however, was not uniformly distributed to all segments of the population-specifically, a large segment of the black community was passed over during the city’s housing boom. Many of the housing problems facing black Houstonians can be traced to the city’s anti-public housing sentiment, policies that create and perpetuate racial segregation, and the dismantling of the fair housing enforcement mechanism. Housing discrimination, residential segregation, and other institutional barriers all limit the mobility options for a sizable segment of the black Houston community.     

Assessing black progress: voting and citizenship rights,residency and housing,education

Farley discusses progress US blacks have made in the areas of voting and citizenship rights, residency and housing, and education. A major goal of the civil rights movement was to permit blacks to influence the electoral process in the same manner as whites. Most important in this regard was the Voting Rights Act of 1965; the proportion of southern blacks casting ballots increased sharply since the early 1960s. The Civil Rights Act of 1875 outlawed racial segregation in public accommodations, but by the turn of the century, Jim Crow laws in southern states called for segregation in most public places. Common customs and government policy in the North resulted in similar segregation of blacks from whites. The Montgomery bus boycott and similar protests in dozens of other cities led to enactment of Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which proscribed such racial practices. By the late 1960s, blacks in all regions could use the same public accommodations as whites. In most metropolitan areas, de facto racial segregation persisted long after the laws were changed. Supreme Court decisions and local open-housing ordinances supported the right of blacks to live where they could afford. However the major change was the Fair Housing Act of 1968, which outlawed racial discrimination in the sale or rental of most housing units. The separation of blacks from whites did not end in the 1970s. Today, in areas which have large black populations, there are many central city neighborhoods and a few in the suburbs which are either all-black or are becoming exclusively black enclaves. Most other neighborhoods have no more than token black populations. Another major effort of civil rights organizations has been the upgrading of housing quality for blacks. By 1980, only 6% of the homes and apartments occupied by blacks lacked complete plumbing facilities (down from 50% in 1940). Unlike the modest changes in residential segregation, racial differences in housing quality have been greatly reduced. By 1960, black students approached parity with whites in terms of measurable aspects of school facilities. In 1940, young blacks averaged about 3 fewer years of educational attainment than whites; the time is nearing when the years of schooling completed by blacks and whites will be the same. In small and medium-sized cities throughout the country, public schools are generally integrated. However, the situation in the largest metropolitan areas is very different. Today, large public schools are segregated, in large part, because blacks and whites live in separate school districts.     

Racial steering in urban housing markets: A review of the audit evidence

A secondary analysis of thirty-six fair housing audits conducted between 1974 and 1987 reveals that racial steering has been a widespread, consequential phenomenon in many urban housing markets during the last decade. It is difficult from extant work to assess precisely its incidence nationally in the home sales sector because sites reporting such data have had atypically active fair housing enforcement efforts. It appears, however, that selective commentary by agents has been practiced as much if not more than differential patterns of home-showings. The consequence of this steering rarely has been to limit the number or concentration of geographic alternatives available to black auditors. Nor have all their options in predominantly white communities typically been precluded. Rather, steering in the sales sector most often has constituted a failure to show white auditors options in areas (and school districts) with nontrivial proportions of minority residents, and a propensity to show black auditors disproportionate numbers of homes in areas currently possessing or expected to possess significant proportions of minority residents. Limited evidence suggests that steering has occurred often in the rental apartment sector, although its consequences have yet to be ascertained in a systematic fashion. Implications of the findings for racial stability in neighborhoods and for fair housing policy are discussed.     

Black-white housing price differentials: Recent trends and implications

Black-white housing price differentials consistent with racially discriminatory practices are rarely found by the studies that have used post-1970 data. Instead, those studies report price differentials consistent with the theory that whites buy segregation by bidding up the price of housing in certain neighborhoods. Unfortunately, the specifications used in most of these studies have been flawed. Here, a properly specified model is estimated using Annual Housing Survey data, augmented with objective measures of neighborhood conditions, from Grand Rapids, Michigan. The price differentials found support the trend found by the improperly specified models. Specifically, various owner bundles cost up to 16 percent more and various renter bundles cost up to 20 percent more in the predominantly white than in the predominantly black submarket. To the extent that residential integration remains one of society’s goals, this trend calls for innovative policies that go beyond enforcement of existing Fair Housing laws.     

Racial disparity in the atlanta housing market

Atlanta has the reputation of being a city of opportunity for blacks. However, in Atlanta, as well as in other cities across the nation, the nexus of racism and economic discrimination has resulted in disparities between the housing status of blacks and whites. This article examines racial disparities in the Atlanta housing market. It begins by tracing recent trends in the Atlanta-area economy and by providing background information on the local housing market. It then discusses the roles of the federal Home Mortgage Disclosure Act of 1975 and Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 in the efforts of local groups to reduce racial disparities in the housing market. The final section discusses recent local developments that might lead to improvements in the housing status of black Atlantans.     

Spatial and Racial Patterning of Real Estate Broker Listings in New York City

It has been well documented that Black homeseekers face discrimination in the housing market in the form of racial steering and other institutional policies and practices that are critical in limiting housing access. Less is known about the mechanisms that operate on the other side of real estate transactions to perpetuate racially segregated neighborhoods. We investigated whether White and Black brokers face segregation in the housing market. That is, to what extent do White and Black brokers differentially market property listings in neighborhoods of varying racial composition? Using real estate listings extracted from the websites of two of the largest New York City real estate brokerages, we examined whether Black and White brokers market properties primarily in Black and White neighborhoods, respectively; and whether, controlling for gender and experience level, Black brokers had a lower average price per square foot than White brokers. Results showed that Black brokers overwhelmingly marketed properties in Black neighborhoods, with fewer listings in White areas. Black brokers also marketed properties with an average price per square foot that was $197 lower than White brokers. Black brokers who worked in offices in Black neighborhoods had the lowest asking price of all brokers. Taken together, Black and White real estate brokers control a bifurcated market in NYC, perpetuating residential segregation and Black–White income and wealth disparities.     

Unlocking housing equity in Japan

Much prior literature on asset patterns among the elderly has mostly overlooked housing wealth as a determinant of retiree wealth, particularly in the Japanese context. Yet releasing equity in housing may be a natural mechanism to boost consumption, reduce public pension liability, and mitigate the demand for long-term care facilities in Japan. Our study evaluates what might be needed to implement reverse mortgages (RMs) in this country. Policies could include exempting RMs from capital gains tax and transactions tax, along with mechanisms to make annuity income flows nontaxable, along with interest rate accruals for RMs. In addition, housing market reforms to enhance information flows would be needed, particularly regarding new and existing housing trades, which could permit the securitization of housing loans and lines of credit. Other improvements in capital markets could also help, including the establishment of reinsurance mechanisms to help lenders offer these reverse mortgages while having some protection against crossover risk. In the Japanese case, demand for RMs will be dampened by declining residential housing values as well as low interest rates and long life expectancies. Nevertheless, we conclude that RMs can be a good way to finance elderly consumption in Japan, particularly against the backdrop of governmental financial stringencies. J. Japanese Int. Economies 18 (4) (2004) 466–505.     

发达国家居民住房租赁市场的经验及借鉴——以德国、日本、美国为例

成熟的住房租赁市场,不仅可以有效提高居民消费率,而且能够实现居民买房和租房的效用均衡,减缓房价上涨对宏观经济的冲击。本文分析总结了德国、美国、日本等主要发达国家居民住房租赁市场的发展和管制经验,并从法律保障、开拓房源、保护承租人利益、发放租金补贴等方面发展我国的住房租赁市场提出了政策建议。     

The housing market of moscow: Development and area differentiation

The evolution and area differentiation of the Moscow housing market are analyzed. Price dynamics and the volume and structure of housing supply in the primary and secondary markets are considered. The area distribution of new buildings of different quality by Moscow administrative districts is analyzed, as well as price differentiation in the secondary market with regard to the city’s raion structure. Special attention is given to the housing potential of Moscow residential areas and the market estimate of the per capita value of “housing capital.”     

Residential renovation in the low income public housing sector: A case study in Merebank

Housing, an important research theme in development studies in recent years, is currently a central focus of concern in South Africa. Largely as a result of the inadequate supply of suitable housing the present trend among Indian households in the public sector in the Durban region is to renovate existing dwellings to suit their residential preferences and aspirations. This paper examines the nature of residential renovation in the public housing sector in order to identify and explain the processes that produce its occurrence, and to determine those factors which can be considered in policy formulation. The study was conducted in Merebank, a low income public housing scheme inhabited by Indians, and situated 15 km south of Durban. Changes in family size and composition, and a shortage of suitable housing, influenced the decision to renovate. The main concern was the addition of more space, especially bedrooms. Most of the renovations were undertaken on a self‐help basis, and financed from personal savings. Some of the problems experienced by renovators included: features of the original dwelling; building regulations; lack of loans; high interest rates; and shortage of materials. Access to finance, encouragement of self‐help improvement efforts, and flexibility in the design of low cost dwellings will help facilitate the residential renovation process.     

Civil rights legislation and the housing status of black americans: An overview

This article explores the relationship between civil rights legislation and the housing status of black Americans. An economic and judicial history of the pursuit of fair housing (or equal opportunity in access to housing) is provided for two major periods-from the late 1800s to the 1950s, and from the years of the civil rights movement to the present. An exploration of the housing status of black Americans throughout these periods follows, in which measures such as crowdedness and tenure-attributable partly to inequality in access to housing—are examined, and comparisons of black and whites are made.     

The impacts of distance to CBD on housing prices in Shanghai: a hedonic analysis

It is widely recognized that location is the primary determining factor of housing price. But to what extent the variation of housing price in Shanghai can be explained by the locational factor has not been empirically examined. In this paper, we examine the power of applying the hedonic method to the spatial-statistical analysis of housing prices in Shanghai. The data we use covers all new commercial residential housings sold in Shanghai during July 2004 and June 2006. The main focus in this paper is to examine the effect of geographical distance to city centre on the selling price of residential housings in Shanghai. We also discuss how the price gradient varies at different directions in Shanghai. Finally, we demonstrate the importance of applying quality control on the development of a housing price index. The statistical methodology and empirical results obtained in this paper carry interesting implications for other cities in China as well.     

Public housing in Charlottesville: The black experience in a small Southern City

The history and public policies related to the public housing program are presented within the context of a small southern city, Charlottesville, Virginia. Consistent with the stormy beginnings of public housing nationally, the article reveals that the early days of the program in Charlottesville also were troubled. City policies to affect the residential mix of housing are shown to have limited the quality of affordable housing available to the poor and especially to low-income blacks. Programs designed by the city to overcome some of these disadvantages through both home ownership and renting also are discussed.     

Women's participation in housing delivery: the case of Ezilweleni,South Africa

As part of a study on housing delivery in post-apartheid South Africa, research was conducted to explore women's participation. The interest in women was based on the assumption that their involvement would contribute to greater equity in the residential construction sector. Focus group discussions and a household survey were conducted. Participants were asked about their income sources and their involvement in various phases of housing delivery such as securing tenure, planning, procuring materials and building. The findings indicate that women influenced decisions about the level of infrastructural services in Ezilweleni. They participated in housing delivery but reverted to informal sector activities despite training in building. Both formal and informal education are necessary if greater equity is to be achieved in the construction sector.     

Unequal school enrollment rights,rent yields gap,and increased inequality: The case of Shanghai

This paper first builds a simple theoretic model to explore how a special feature of enrollment policy of public primary schools in urban China, the unequal enrollment right between home owners and tenants, would produce rent-yields gap between different housings. The model also predicts that an enrollment policy featuring with tenant discrimination, accompanying with strict credit constraint, would reduce the chance of kids from middle-income families to attend better public schools while allow families with high initial wealth to access better high-quality public education at a lower cost. Using a hedonic pricing model, we find that, in Shanghai, rental yields of housings in neighborhoods associated with reputed public primary schools is on average 0.1–0.35 percentage-point lower than those associated with ordinary ones. We also explore how the rent-yields-gap varies across housing types, locations and changes over time. Nonetheless, our simulation computation suggests that the estimated opportunity cost of holding such schools in Shanghai is generally not a big amount and affordable for many families. Overall, the high entry costs of owing a housing is the major obstacle to access high-quality public primary education in urban China. These findings highlight how an education policy with features of inequality may contribute to education and residential segregation, and then reduce intergenerational mobility.     

The Legacy of Black Lynching and Contemporary Segregation in the South

Wacquant (2001) and others have argued that social control efforts directed at racial and ethnic minorities frequently shift institutional form and become more nuanced as societies modernize, even as the underlying function persists. This study examines the connection between southern lynching and housing segregation. We argue that legal, political, social and demographic changes in the south made lynching dysfunctional as a means of control. Among other more nuanced control mechanisms, modern housing segregation helped serve as a replacement. We test this proposition by relating historical southern black lynching rates to recent levels of segregation in southern MSAs. We find that an MSA’s historical lynching rate is positively and significantly linked to the MSA’s current segregation levels after accounting for standard determinants of segregation. Thus, segregation does not just occur generally throughout the south, but follows a very particular pattern based on past lynching rates. Our findings add to a growing literature on the legacy of lynching, such as studies examining contemporaneous variation in support for and use of capital punishment.     

Income inequality as an indicator of discrimination in housing markets

In this article we develop an alternative empirical method for identifying discrimination in the housing market, and test it using 1980 census data for the city of Philadelphia and four counties that are in close proximity to Philadelphia. A variety of models are estimated, and the results of the analysis appear to support the view that discrimination was an important factor in both the central city county of Philadelphia, and the suburban counties.     

Evaluation of the mid-market investment returns in real estate development when forecasting the housing market

The paper is devoted to estimating the midmarket running annual revenue of investments in the development of residential real estate under socioeconomic and town planning of the housing sphere. It provides variants of midmarket running annual revenue of investments in the development of residential real estate taken from different sources. The obtained coefficients allow us to shift from estimating the running annual return on investment in relation to the cost of construction to estimating this return in relation to the total investment cost.     

居住用地供给对上海住房市场的影响——基于动态存量一流量模型的实证研究

文章运用住房市场存量-流量模型,动态分析居住用地供给对新建商品住房供给及住房价格的影响,并据此模拟不同居住用地供给思路下商品住房市场的运行状况。基于上海数据的实证分析发现：政府新增居住用地供给对一定时期后的新建商品住房供给具有显著影响;居住用地供给能够影响远期住房价格,但很难对当期住房价格产生影响。模拟结果显示：增加居住用地供给所能起到平抑房价的作用较为有限。据此提出,政府居住用地供给应着眼于长期,不宜依据短期住房市场状况进行频繁调整。     

The long-run effects of housing location on travel behavior: Evidence from China's housing reform

Many cities in developing countries are experiencing rapid urbanization along with deteriorating traffic congestion and air quality, so it is important to understand what affects travel demand in developing countries. In this paper, we study how housing location affects travel behavior in Beijing, a city in a developing country. We use subsidized housing as a source of variation for housing location—individuals in subsidized housing live much closer to the city center than individuals in the control group. We exploit a change in the eligibility for subsidized housing generated by China's housing reforms to address the potential endogeneity of subsidized housing. We find that subsidized housing substantially reduces distances traveled for commuting and discretionary trips and that subsidized individuals are less likely to drive but have similar rates of automobile ownership. The results suggest that housing location can have long-lasting effects on travel behavior and automobile use in a developing country. We discuss policy implications of these findings.