The literature reveals many conflicting theories on the relationship between homeownership and civic participation. While most scholars agree that homeownership increases civic participation, the underlying reasons explaining this causal relationship are often contradictory. Contemporary scholarly interest in this topic seems to be motivated by the recent sub-prime mortgage crisis and historical policies that have promoted homeownership in the U.S. Other noteworthy trends include differing operational definitions of civic participation and efforts to increase social capital and civic participation in lower income urban neighborhoods. The following summary offers a snapshot into the literature’s most prevalent themes concerning this topic.
Homeownership Increases Civic Participation in Urban Neighborhoods
Manturuk, Lindblad, and Quercia (2013) examine the relationship between homeownership and civic engagement in lower income urban neighborhoods. The authors identify and test three common theories from the literature that link homeownership and civic participation: financial self-interest, general self-interests (e.g. neighborhood amenities), and residential mobility. The data used in this study were collected from two surveys completed four years apart by the same participants from 30 metropolitan areas. The participants originated from a random sample of low-to-moderate income homeowners enrolled in a secondary mortgage market program, who were then matched with a comparison group of renters based on neighborhood proximity and income. The survey data was analyzed using a reverse longitudinal model supplemented by three propensity score models for the purposes of eliminating selection bias. [Avoid this type of jargon unless you u...
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...articipate in their communities: residential stability and financial investments. Similar to Li (2012), the author affirms that mixed findings on the relationship between homeownership and community participation are a product of conflicting definitions of community participation in survey research, and also adds that geographically distinct samples representing only particular sets of households further contributes to these contradictions. The study used data from supplements of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ monthly CPS survey, which collects information from households across the country about their involvement in civic activities. The CPS survey supplements offered three reliable measures for community participation: (1) local voter participation, (2) participation in a school, neighborhood, or community group, and (3) participation in a civic or service group.
Leonard, T., & Murdoch, J. C. (2009). The neighborhood effects of foreclosure. Journal of Geographical Systems, 11(4), 317-332. doi:10.1007/s10109-009-0088-6
... motivation for wealthy individuals to return to the inner-city core but it also provides impetus for commercial and retail mixed-use to follow, increasing local revenue for cities (Duany, 2001). Proponents of gentrification profess that this increase in municipal revenue from sales and property taxes allows for the funding of city improvements, in the form of job opportunities, improved schools and parks, retail markets and increased sense of security and safety ((Davidson (2009), Ellen & O’Reagan (2007), Formoso et. al (2010)). Due to the increase in housing and private rental prices and the general decrease of the affordable housing stock in gentrifying areas, financially-precarious communities such as the elderly, female-headed households, and blue-collar workers can no longer afford to live in newly developed spaces ((Schill & Nathan (1983), Atkinson, (2000)).
Americans and Britons had a stronger sense of civic duty and and civic competence, believed they could “do something’ about an unjust law, and that citizens should be active in one’s community. While Americans lagged behind Austria, the Netherlands, West Germany, and the United Kingdom in voter participation, they seemed to be much more involved in other areas such as campaigning, being active in the local community, and contacting government official. But in “Bowling Alone,” Robert Putnam states that not only has voter turnout declined, but so has citizen participation in politics and government. This is because they are more self-reliant now. People do not vote because they do not care. They believe the democratic values this nation was built upon do not exist
Jackson highlights the steps taken by President Hoover’s Administration to avoid being forced into the creation of American public housing. He leads us through the fight to prevent public housing into Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency, where we get the Federal Housing Administration and the Veterans Administration. Jackson argues that these two administrations revolutionized home financing. At this point, Jackson shows us how prejudices and a perceived need for segregation influenced the Federal Housing Administration, which gives us the phenomena observed by Mohl in his articles. Further along in his article, and after a case study of St. Louis, Jackson makes the assumptions that the federal policies not only favored the suburbs, but also preferred neighborhoods given a “B” grade. He also claims that private lenders were influenced by the Federal Housing Administration. Moving on into the second half of his article, we see how public housing got its start. Jackson notes that while public housing was successful in providing affordable housing to poorer Americans, it was less than successful through the eyes of its supporters. In agreement with Mohl, Jackson finds that public housing reinforced
In Tama Leventhal and Jeanne Brooks-Gunn’s article characteristics of neighborhood is depicted by its SES and show how each neighborhood is measured differently. For example, previous non-experimental research of how neighborhoods affect children and adolescent development revealed that high SES correlates with income, percentage professionals, and percentage of residents who are college educated; low SES correlated with poverty measures that are connected to percentage of households headed by females, percentage on public assistance, and percentage unemploye...
People commonly believe that property values decline when blacks or non-white move into a neighborhood. However, the real reason why property values decline is because of whites moving away and taking their resources with them. White homebuyers fear that property values will decline rapidly when nonwhite residents begin moving into a neighborhood. What they do not take into consideration is that the nonwhite residents may be their socioeconomic equals. Instead, they focus on race—they categorize individuals into socioeconomic classes on the basis of race. When whites or well-intentioned residents move away, businesses and jobs soon follow suit, thus, creating improvised neighborhoods.
The United States is an inspiration of liberty and hope for nations around the world. It is a nation with citizens who have the unalienable rights of, “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness,” and a model for how democratic nations should be ordered and maneuvered due to its intrinsic values that are held. Democracy is a system of government where the citizens are responsible for shaping their nation to represent who they are and what they stand for. The people have the ultimate power in the nation. However, as no pure direct democracy exists in any nation, an indirect democracy arises, where people vote to elect representatives, who then in turn make the greater part of decisions for the nation.
Thousands of hardworking American families are being dragged down the path to foreclosure with no escape in sight. Despite hard work, they struggle to make the mortgage payments, lose hope, lose pride in homeownership, and eventually abandon payments altogether. We need to revive hope and rebuild the concept of pride in owning one’s own home by helping them make the payments through this plan. My solution does not require mere government giveaways, but rather allows for the recapture of government investments. One home at a time, we can successfully reconstruct the American Dream of home-ownership and end the foreclosure crisis.
As the lease of my apartment is coming to an end it had me thinking of achieving my own American Dream of home ownership but as I do my research I find the dream is far from coming true. I am sure that the issue of housing prices and rent rates are what most of us Bay Area residents talk about and debate. It is an issue that needs to be addressed by the officials of the area, city mayors, affordable housing committees, social justice activists,lawmakers, and even employers. Skyrocketing prices, low inventory, and investors’ bidding wars are not only pushing the middle and lower classes out of San Francisco and the Bay Area out but will completely eliminate them.
These days, anyone who can afford the rent or cost of homeownership is moving into gated communities because they want to live in a quiet neighborhood.” This is also why homeowners uphold a higher sense of pride of their houses because they have to work harder to become a member living in a gated community. Also each neighborhood holds certain rules including keeping the exterior freshly painted, grass neatly cut, and no clutter in the front
To achieve civic engagement is undertaken in many diverse ways. These are determined by several factors, amongst them the purpose of the civic engagement, the people involved in it, the funds to be involved amongst others. The...
Buying and owning your home is part of the American dream. Although the dream itself has since changed, the home still remains the main focal point. Today owning a home doesn’t necessarily mean a house. People now buy duplexes, cooperative apartments, and condominiums. For some families it could take up to a couple of generations before it’s able to have the capabilities of buying a home. To many people it means a certain achievement that only comes after years of hard work. It is a life altering decision and one of the most important someone can make in their lifetime. The reasons behind the actual purchase could vary. Before anything is done, people must understand that it’s an extraneous process and it is a long term project.
Commitment to community is a requirement for contemporary Americans and vital to its survival. “Love thy neighbor as thyself” is the unselfish act of sharing: from a cup of sugar to a wealth of information to the guardianship of all children involved and the protection of every individual in that said community. Whether that community consists of the “Classic Neighborhood, those with a common set of goals, or those who share a common identity” the thread that holds this matrix together is always woven into the shared identity as well as responsibility of all involved. (Redmond, 2010). A community cannot continue to exist through the will of withdrawn individuals who arms only embrace themselves and have no involvement whatsoever with neighbors one door away.
Neighborhoods are more than just tangible, physical environments that people live in. Rather, they mirror and embody the cultures, religious affiliations and political beliefs of the residents who occupy the community. A home is a place one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household, there are endless housing options available in my neighborhood. East Flatbush is a residential area, there are a wide variety of mainly apartment building, row houses, and a few housings projects, and a shelter for battered women and
Community engagement is the active participation of local residents and community groups in the decisions that affect their lives (Herefordshire Council, 2013). Therefore, community engagement should be about engaging in open communication to ensure the council understands the needs of the local community.