Calls for Papers

Form Follows Families: The Evolution of U.S. Affordable Housing Design and Construction
(Summer 2014 issue of Cityscape)

The design, construction, and physical maintenance of U.S. low-income housing—both assisted and market-rate inventories—have undergone both remarkable innovation and astounding decay during the past century. If well designed, constructed, and maintained, affordable housing is a vital economic and social asset. If not, it is a symbol of modern urban blight, a contributor to precarious living situations, and a symptom of bureaucratic inefficiency and market disregard. The new and existing housing stock occupied by low-income Americans are mirrors of our policy and our markets. Past historical surveys of America housing have shed light on how the bricks and mortar of our nation’s housing are inscribed with social, economic, and political meaning. This symposium seeks submissions that broaden this field by applying historical or social-science analysis to the form, materials, means, and methods of low-income housing. In this symposium we will be equally interested in both the market-rate housing stock occupied by low-income households and the assisted housing stock. The topics of interest are wide and include, but are not limited to, (1) gender, race, or physical mobility and housing design; (2) municipal “incivilities” ordinances and building codes; (3) measures of inadequate or distressed housing; (4) vernacular design and occupant preferences; and (5) homebuyer and occupant maintenance and repair behaviors. Submit proposals via cityscape@ hud.gov; full drafts are expected by November 30, 2013.

Inclusion and Exclusion in American Neighborhoods
(Fall 2014 issue of Cityscape)

The articles in this symposium may be either theoretical or empirical, and they may use either qualitative or quantitative methods. Among the topics of interest are (1) ethnographic examinations of mixed-race and mixed-income communities, particularly focusing on how different strategies and contexts facilitate racial and economic integration; (2) analyses of local government policies that advance or hinder the development of mixed-race and mixed-income communities; and (3) analyses of how specific programs (either mobility programs or place-based investment programs) advance the development of mixed-race and mixed-income communities. If interested in submitting an article or serving as a peer reviewer, contact Paul Joice (paul.a.joice@hud.gov) or Meena Bavan (meena.s.bavan@hud.gov) by October 1, 2013. Individuals invited to submit articles must provide a full draft by February 1, 2014.