HOMEOWNERSHIP IN PUBLIC HOUSING: RESIDENTS ' VIEWS

requirements for the Degree of Master of City Planning The United States has a long-standing tradition of promoting homeownership as the ideal form of housing tenure. Entrenched in cultural mythology and upheld through legislative practice, ownership of the single-family home has long been associated with the "American Dream. " As a result, the development and provision of public housing is seen by many to be an anomaly in a housing delivery system that stresses individual responsibility and private enterprise. In response, privatization of public housing, the transfer of ownership rights to low-income residents, is put forth by policymakers as a means to promote individual responsibility and reduce direct government involvement in the provision of housing. Debate over these policies has focused on associated costs, the need to preserve the stock of affordable housing, and the desirability of multi-family public housing structures as private homes. What is missing from this debate is the voice of the residents. This thesis attempts to include residents ' views by evaluating interviews conducted at Boston's West Broadway housing development designed to gain a deepe