Youth in mixed-income communities replacing public housing complexes: Context, dynamics and response
Author ORCID Identifier
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-12-2013
Abstract
Several of the theories that drive the rationale for mixed-income development as a response to urban poverty and the problems of traditional public housing are directly concerned with children and youth. These include assumptions about the possible "role modeling" effects of living among working and middle class people as well as social capital arguments, in which children may act as a kind of "bridge" to foster relationships among adults with children. In spite of these assumptions, young people - particularly older adolescents and young adults - are often at the contentious core of how problems of social control and organization play out on the ground. This paper draws on research on the Chicago public housing transformation in the United States to investigate how young people are viewed by those working on and living in mixed-income developments being built to replace public housing complexes, and how young people themselves contribute to the dynamics of these new communities. We find that while there have been improvements in the lives of young people who have been able to move into these new mixed-income developments in terms of living in safer, more orderly environments, their overall experiences are not altogether positive and are proving to be problematic for the broader community. Residents of different income levels employ different parental management strategies that serve as a barrier to engagement and a sense of commonality among families with children. An overriding dynamic in these new communities is the perception among (mainly) higher-income residents that unsupervised youth are having a negative influence on the broader community. Our research raises concerns about the future viability and sustainability of these mixed-income environments in the absence of more intentional and effective investments in structured supports and activities for young people.
Keywords
mixed-income communities, community development, urban, poverty
Publication Title
Cities
Rights
© 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Recommended Citation
Chaskin, R. J., Sichling, F., & Joseph, M. L. (2013). Youth in mixed-income communities replacing public housing complexes: Context, dynamics and response. Cities, 35, 423-431. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2013.03.009