Housing and Race in Industrial Society

This is a comparative study of the relationship between civil rights law, housing and urban policy in Britain and the United States. It focuses on the ways in which governments have attempted to remove racial discrimination and disadvantage in private and public sector housing. The study, first published in 1977, does not simply consist of an account of administrative and judicial attempts to remove discrimination. A major concern is to place civil rights laws in their total political, economic and social environments. The book explains and compares the nature of racial residential change in both countries, and assesses the impact of civil rights law on existing patterns of discrimination and disadvantage. Other public policies, in particular housing and urban policies, are examined and their relationship to anti-discrimination measures is analysed. In explaining differences between the two countries, emphasis is placed on the role of government in urban society, the political economies of urban areas, and the social and political differences between minority groups. Finally, the study identifies the limits to effective civil rights law enforcement and provides some indication as to the policy alternatives open to decision-makers in the two countries.