Life Together: How Housing Laws Define America's Families

Abstract:     
Housing restrictions, in the form of restrictive covenants, housing and building codes, and zoning regulations, have subtly helped to define our conception of what constitutes a family. Local ordinances have controlled and curtailed the type of dwellings that qualify as family homes, substituting relationship requirements for requirements of purpose or function. This article argues that moral judgments are the driving force behind some housing restrictions, and that such restrictions actually undermine the notion of family in our neighborhoods.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 23

Keywords: Real estate finance, foreclosure, property abandoned, vacant, zoning, regulation, covenant, family restriction ordinance

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