Assignment 23: Annotated Bib 3

For this assignment, I wrote my third annotated bibliography. Click here for a properly formatted version on Google Drive.

Howell, K. L. (2016). Planning for empowerment: Upending the traditional approach to planning for affordable housing in the face of gentrification. Planning Theory & Practice, 17(2), 210-226. doi:10.1080/14649357.2016.1156729

Howell’s article explores the correlation between gentrification and representation in local government, particularly residents in Washington, DC’s poorer areas. The article explains several legislative measures that were put in place, such as the Tenant opportunity to Purchase Act (ToPA) in 1980, and how legislators have managed to evolve their policies over time to meet local demand. Another program, CNHED, allows members to “receive city council funds to develop affordable housing, administer programs, organize tenants, provide wrap-around services to extremely low-income households, and provide job training and housing counseling,” important resources that residents can use to break the cycle of poverty and avoid gentrification-driven confrontation (Howell 215-216). I can use this source in my research as it is a very thorough case study about local government driven gentrification. Within the context of Washington DC, Howell also explores the neighborhood of Columbia Heights, which “In 2010, almost 19% of households earned more than $100,000, compared to less than 6% in 2000” (Howell 217). Additionally, Howell discusses the power of group and public advocacy, pro-bono attorneys, and making connections between tenants and the government as the driving forces against gentrification in a city like Washington, DC. Howell is a reputable expert in the field of planning, as she is an urban and regional planning professor at Virginia Commonwealth University and holds a PhD in the field. She cites a significant number of interviews in her bibliography, mostly people and agencies directly involved in the happenings of her case study. This article is a good source to site as part of my research because it shows how modern legislation has a direct impact on gentrification-prone communities. Ultimately, the article represents just one small example in the entire country, but the progress made in Washington, DC  is enough to be feasible on a nationwide scale.