Opposition to Affordable Housing in the USA: Debate Framing and the Responses of Local Actors

Abstract

This article investigates the framing of affordable housing by opponents and responses to this framing by local housing actors in the USA. We use a social construction approach to explore how conceptualizations of race/ethnicity, class and immigration shape opponents views and cast affordable housing tenants as deviant and undeserving, making them undesirable neighbours. Our study finds that affordable housing opposition and the process of framing results in: changes to development designs and siting decisions based on least resistance, rather than sound planning and decision-making, thereby directing affordable housing projects to particular jurisdictions, new development areas or concentrated poor neighbourhoods.