What Climbing Mount Laurel Tells Us About Integration
- Title:
- What Climbing Mount Laurel Tells Us About Integration
- Author:
-
Douglas S. Massey, Len Albright, Rebecca Casciano, Elizabeth Derickson & David N. Kinsey
- Source:
- Publication Date:
-
2013
The Mount Laurel decision, requiring New Jersey's municipalities to include a fair share of affordable residences, led to the development of the Ethel Lawrence Homes, an affordable multifamily housing development in one of Philadelphia's affluent suburbs. Douglas Massey and a cadre of co-authors analyzed the impacts of the Ethel Lawrence Homes on its residents as well as the surrounding area.
Major findings:
- Although the proposed development was highly contested, ten years after the Ethel Lawrence Homes opened, nearly one-third of nearby residents were unaware there was affordable housing in the neighborhood.
- The researchers found no spike in crime rates, no reduction in property values, and no increase in tax burdens.
- While the impacts on the township and neighbors were nil, the researchers found that Ethel Lawrence residents benefited from reductions in mental distress, exposure to violence, and social disorder.
- Residents' children spent more time studying, were more academically supported by their parents, and had a quiet study space, yet they did not experience gains, as measured by GPA, since the more rigorous local school counterbalanced the added effort.
