A number of presentations at the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning 59th Annual Conference last year in Buffalo, New York, placed attention on urban resurgence as a process that is often incomplete, constantly ongoing, and always unevenly distributed in terms of who wins and who loses. One session in particular focused on the interactions of “planning practice with geographies of housing” and the resulting impact on housing affordability. Just as human activity promulgates neoliberal ideologies and structures that diminish quality of life, are progressive planning alternatives offered and considered as a way out? The essays that follow in this (and the next) issue of ProgressiveCity illuminate upon policies and practices underway, and the ideological tensions planning often manages, intensifies or lessens rather than resolves. The two essays contributed this week and next week, written by Samuel Stein and Fei Li, respectively, describe how planning has impacted housing affordability in New York City and London.
Jeffrey Lowe is an Associate Professor in the Department of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy at Texas Southern University and a Progressive City Editorial Board member.