On October 15, 2025, we had the honor of hosting scholar and writer (and LAI NY chapter member) Howard Husock, who discussed his new book, The Projects: A New History of Public Housing (NYU Press). He was interviewed by journalist and author Benjamin Schneider. The two engaged in fascinating dialogue about the history and long-term consequences of public housing in the U.S.
Howard stressed how the idea of public housing emerged from the reform community with little input from the residents who were ultimately displaced by slum clearance. In the end, however, slum clearance destroyed what were otherwise vibrant neighborhoods and tight communities.
Then the discussion turned to the so-called Brooke Amendment, the 1969 law that capped rent in public housing to 25% (then later 30%) of households’ income. While the law was well-intentioned and meant to reduce the rent burden of public housing residents, it had the unintended consequence of reducing the revenue of local housing authorities across the country. The result was the under-maintenance of public housing and the ultimate demolition of many of the projects.
The conversation then turned to the 21st century and the issue of affordable housing in general. Benjamin and Howard discussed the efficacy of newer programs like housing vouchers and the Moving to Opportunity Program. Howard feels that while these programs might be helpful for the lucky few households, they are not fully scalable to provide low-cost housing more broadly. Howard stressed the need for cities and suburbs to build small, modest-cost “working class” housing and to bring back lost housing typologies like the triple-deckers of Boston or the 750 square foot single-family homes of Levittown on Long Island.
The Q&A portion provided a lively debate on both public housing and affordable housing in general. However, there was universal agreement that much more housing is needed in the low- and moderate-income segments throughout the metropolitan regions of the U.S.
