Introduction New Perspectives on Public Housing Histories in the Americas

• Published in: Journal of urban history Vol. 33; no. 3; pp. 357 - 374
• Main Authors: Purdy, Sean, Kwak, Nancy H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Thousand Oaks, CA SAGE Publications 01.03.2007; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: 20th century; Argentina; Canada; Caribbean; Crises; Graphs; Historiography; Housing authorities; Housing Policy; Public Housing; Tenants; Testimony; Transnationalism; United States of America; Urban areas; Canada; Caribbean area; Latin America; Canada; historiography; Caribbean; United States; public housing; Latin America
• ISSN: 0096-1442; 1552-6771
• DOI: 10.1177/0096144206297128

This article introduces a special issue on the history of public housing in the Americas, with contributions on the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, and Argentina. It briefly surveys the state of public housing in the Americas and the contrasts and parallels between countries as well as between developed and developing regions; it stresses the political and social importance of state housing provision during the urban crises of the twentieth century; and it broadly charts the historiographical trends. In introducing the various articles that deal with the history of public housing and public housing tenants in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Toronto, Buenos Aires, Puerto Rico, and Barbados, the article highlights the shift away from narrow policy histories to interpretations set in broader political, economic, social, and transnational contexts that use diverse primary sources such as oral testimony. It also highlights the crucial role played by historical actors such as public housing tenants themselves and the media.