Our Town: Race, Housing, and the Soul of Suburbia

Beginning with the development of Camden, New Jersey, the authors, professors of public policy and law (Univ. of California-Berkeley), examine the politics of land-use regulation and its impact on poor and black residents. It becomes abundantly clear why urban renewal in the 1960s and 1970s was frequently called ""Negro removal."" Their analysis focuses on the legal battle that developed as suburban development threatened black and poor residents of the nearby community of Mount Laurel. The Mount Laurel cases are traced through state and federal courts and assessed in terms of their encouragement of fair housing policies and discouragement of exclusionary zoning. This book is rich in detail and offers important insights into the politics of urban development and its impact on poorer residents. It will be invaluable to specialists in urban studies and planning and a fascinating read for others knowledgeable about urban politics and civil rights.-William Waugh Jr., Georgia State Univ., Atlanta