Neighborhood change and the City of New York's ten-year housing plan

This article examines neighborhood changes associated with New York City's Ten-Year Plan - the largest municipal housing program in the United States. We examine indicators of change, in the context of two possible hypotheses about the program's impact: (1) neighborhood revitalization, including improved physical and housing market conditions, as well as gentrification, and (2) the concentration of poor and welfare-dependent households, as well as the possibility of residential segregation by race or ethnicity. Our results present a mixed picture, with some evidence favoring both hypotheses, especially when parts of the city, particularly the South Bronx, are examined separately. Specifically, the program is associated with steep declines in the rate of boarded-up buildings and some indications of increased home values, as well as rent burdens. However, it is also correlated with increases in maintenance deficiencies and a greater proportion of poor, single-parent, and welfare-dependent households, but there is little evidence of accentuated residential segregation.