GGR 357 H1F Geography of Housing and Housing Policy

1. GGR 357 H1F Geography of Housing and Housing Policy  Session 4 May 26th, 2008 Unequal opportunities and social exclusion DR. AMANDA HELDERMAN

2. Announcements • Web page: http://individual.utoronto.ca/helderman • TODAY: last chance to buy your copy of the text book • Midterm exam (20%) about all texts, slides and topics read and discussed until then • June 2, 2008 (Monday!): 5-7 pm • Lash Miller • Room 158 • Assignment (35%): due date June 20, 2008

3. Assignment • Detailed description and helpful resources at: http://individual.utoronto.ca/helderman • Research paper with required elements: • One of the main topic discussed during course (introduction) • Toronto neighbourhood (introduction) • Clear and appropriate research question and concise conclusion • Geographic description (Map/ Sketch as illustration) • Demographic (Tables) • Socioeconomic (Tables) Meat/ Middle

4. Assignment • Introduction • Topic/ Problem, grab reader’s attention • Societal relevance (e.g. disadvantaged groups, better housing provision for all) • If possible academic relevance (e.g. not researched before, new paradigm, new facts, information lacking before, action has been taken, new effects) • Research question (includes question mark, is feasible) • How you plan to answer this question (=method, lit research and analyzing City of Toronto data) Less than a page, 12 pts font

5. Assignment 2. Background (= literature review) • What is known about how it works? • How does this compare to what is happening in the neighbourhood? 1-1.5 pages Font 12 Single line spacing No stretched margins!

6. Assignment 3-5. Data analysis • Physical (some attention for other functions than residential and green spaces) • Demographic (who lives there?, ethnicity, family composition etc.) • Socio-economic (income, level of education etc.) 2 pages

7. Assignment 6. Conclusion • Answer to your research question (adjust your question if you cannot answer) • Discussion/ Reflection (add some thoughts on certain circumstances or lack of data that may have affected your outcome) Less than a page

8. Assignment REFERENCES • Use of readings required for this course • Additional relevant resources (non-academic media if you have to or if it is great added value) • Proper referencing: preferably APA style Not more than three additional resources (that you have found yourself) are necessary, depending on your topic. Some topics are covered better in this course than others. Digital (email) and hardcopies (drop box 5th floor Sid Smith) on June 20, 2008

9. Announcement final exam • Final exam dates…

10. Introduction • Definitions and excluded groups • Link with housing • Roots in (changing and locally different) welfare state principles • Backgrounds of social exclusion • Mechanisms of social exclusion • Types of housing discrimination (see Novac) • Role of private agents • Racial, gender and spatial discrimination • Mechanisms of exclusion in the public domain

11. Introduction • Consequences of social exclusion (special attention for homelessness) • Policy discourses • Policy instruments • Literature

12. Social exclusion • “Social exclusion occurs when people or groups decide consciously or unconsciously to put up barriers, preventing others from full and equal participation, leading to loss of rights, loss of power, lack of integration into society, affecting the ability to live fully” • Social exclusion accentuates material and social deprivation

13. Social exclusion • Diversity of experiences of social exclusion • Three key dimensions of social exclusion: economic, political, and social (Somerville, 1998) • Access to resources (ec), democratic decision-making (pol), services, social networks and supports (soc) • Economic and social conditions tend to exclude some groups from the cycle of opportunities

14. Social exclusion • Depends largely on income and the degree of forced dependence on state benefits and services • Almost entirely an urban problem: cities concentrate and intensify social problems • Causal relationship income and other attributes difficult to specify (basis social participation…)

15. Social exclusion • Denial of social rights or non-realization of social rights

16. Concept social exclusion • Advantage: beyond material disadvantage (compare poverty) • Disadvantage: so broad in scope that almost everyone can be socially excluded in one way or the other  obscures true inequalities • More imprecise and hard to measure, politically convenient! • Used interchangeably with poverty and social segregation • Paradigm lost? • Consensus: It is a problem, and it is linked with labour market position

17. Introduction • Who suffers from social exclusion? • elderly people living on an inadequate income • people with physical and mental disabilities • young people without educational attainments • women in low-income families • migrants and ethnic minorities • low-income, single-parent families • young people leaving care • long-term unemployed • gays and lesbians • homeless people • prisoners and their families

18. Groups of exclusion • Social perceptions of the excluded group • Attitude of the state • Role of popular media • Continuum of exclusion • Hierarchy of moral credibility • Some considered more deserving than others (single parents), some not recognized at all (disabled)

19. Social exclusion and housing • Housing is a basic need for everyone • Shelter • Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (psychology) • Theory of human motivation • First ‘deficiency needs’ must be met • Needs given in by the basic need for survival • Housing is a deficiency need • Then a person is ready to act upon ‘growth needs’

20. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs Housing

21. Social exclusion and housing • Housing is the main item on the household budget • Fixes “social location” • Housing is an arena of social exclusion and housing plays a role in social exclusion from other arenas • Housing shapes social exclusion outcomes; health, job opportunities, education opportunities • Exclusion from housing, exclusion through housing

22. Exclusion from housing • Central focus on unmet housing demands • Failure to secure adequate accommodation • Homelessness • Adequate housing as a right of citizenship itself?

23. Exclusion through housing • Focus shifts outwards • Impact of housing system on broader social participation • Housing consumption may impair access to wider citizenship rights

24. Social exclusion and housing • Links in this course: housing affordability, socio-economic inequality, and social segregation • Housing discrimination • Link between social exclusion and housing: • Tenure (wealth) • Housing conditions (health, especially in childhood) • Process of spatial concentration of disadvantage -> Spatial segregation • Neighbourhood level: social cohesion reduces social divides

25. The welfare state… …takes on the responsibility to ensure the welfare of its citizens (decades following WWII) • No longer the reigning perspective • Neo-liberalism welfare reform agenda: accepts the principles of small government and market freedom • Social exclusion lies in welfare state and attitudes and behaviour of excluded themselves…

26. The welfare state… … however, individuals are not necessarily guided by self-interest and economic rationalization! • Socially excluded people are dutiful but defeated • New paternalism: providing for the welfare of citizens, but not without supervision and guidance • Critical theorists – 1970s-1980s: criticized for almost Marxist utopianism: need for social policy to draw attention to effects of capitalism

27. Does the state have the responsibility to ensure the welfare of its citizens? Does the concept of the welfare state create a cycle of dependency?

28. The welfare state… • Postmodernism: range of theories on welfare state • Social classes are no longer considered important • New society has fragmented structures, individualistic processes and a deregulated social environment • Bourdieu (1980s and 1990s): Bounded rationality, individuals choose between available options • Changing roles of welfare: paradigms are reactions on other paradigms, but also co-exist

29. Welfare regimes Three regimes (Esping-Andersen’s regime theory, 1990): 1 Social democratic regime • Policy measures aimed to redistribute inequality 2 Conservative regime • Strong commitment to the traditional family • Preserves status differentials • Negligible redistribution effects • Insiders and outsiders

30. Welfare regimes 3 Liberal regime • Hegemonic role to free market forces • Emphasis on work ethic • Social corruption may cause idleness and dependency… • State only intervenes where family and market fail • Market failure: choice between employment or social housing eligibility through income criteria

31. Welfare regimes

32. Backgrounds of social exclusion • Racial discrimination • Economic discrimination • Gender discrimination • Health discrimination • Poverty discrimination • Neighbourhood discrimination

33. Mechanisms for social exclusion on the housing market • Housing discrimination • Redlining • Steering • Planning and gender bias

34. Housing discrimination • Denying access to housing • Charging higher prices/ rents for certain people • More stringent criteria for some people • Treating residents differently • Statistical discrimination • Discrimination on the basis of social condition (poverty, low education, homelessness or illiteracy)

35. Landlords • Resident or absentee landlords • Most discrimination cases about resident landlords • Informal or commercial landlords • Informal landlords control their properties more closely • Landlord’s experience: immigrant groups and discrimination • Attitudes of landlords and the changing profiles of renters

36. Criteria • Racial criteria etc prohibited by federal law • Discrimination on social condition is prohibited under Quebec’s Charter of Human Rights • Economic criteria are allowed! • Credit checks • Rent to income ratios • Requests for guarantors

37. Alternative resorts • Hiding children • Using social networks (often same background) • Not so much research yet into home seeking behaviour

38. Steering by real-estate agents • Real-estate agents may direct certain buyers to certain areas • Racial steering • May lead to residential segregation (next week) • Discrimination in mortgage lending (direct discrimination) • Discouragement for applying for a mortgage (women and racial minorities)

39. Redlining • Bank closures in certain low income neighbourhoods • Refusal to provide loans/ mortgages through implicit and indirect discrimination

40. Housing inventory: • Best • Still desirable • Declining • Hazardous • Future development • . • Business and industry

41. Racial discrimination • Institutional racism: provision • Racial disadvantage non-housing: employment • Racial harassment • History of the state, citizenship • Influx and housing shortages, immigrants prominent role in economy, traditional conservative emphasis of ethnic descent and status quo (Germany) • Citizenship from birth on territory, anti-discriminations policy (UK) • In latter case discrimination of more subtle nature

42. Racial discrimination Also depends on vacancy rates, ease of tenant evictions, type of landlord

43. Multiculturalism and exclusion • Protection of culture may lead to less educational achievement of children

44. Institutional racism • Access to housing • Method: coupled researchers of different races • Housing audit studies

45. Gender discrimination • Harassment and intimidation • Fear of harassment and homelessness • Problems obtaining housing service • Single mothers: incapable of housekeeping and taking care of children? • Children mean greater wear and tear on dwelling • Incapable of maintenance • Under-reported: fear, lack of awareness of rights

46. Gender bias in planning • Underground parking • Basement laundry rooms • Focus on needs of traditional family

47. Neighbourhoodism Large public housing projects, e.g. Regent park, T.O. Link with racial discrimination Residents may be unable to: • Obtain home insurance • Get delivery service • Get taxis • Get housing elsewhere • Part of public sector allocation policy

48. Discriminatory land use tools • Zoning bylaws may restrict housing types, rented housing or even certain types of households Toronto: over 40 zoning bylaws, inherited from former municipalities

49. Discriminatory land use tools Motives for zoning bylaws (Ihlanfeldt, 2004): • Separating incompatible land uses • Fiscal considerations • minimize costs of public services • Municipal zoning favouring high tax yielding land uses (commercial) • Preserve area’s character (e.g. agrarian, no multifamily housing) • Municipal zoning favouring high end housing (large lots) • Security home builders and homeowners, uncertainty of being surrounded by undeveloped land

50. Discriminatory land use tools 4? Intentional desire to exclude low-income families? (Prejudice: to prevent increase in crime, delinquency, lower property values) Zoning = artificially inflating land prices