Decades of Dilemma: Unraveling the Impact of Public Housing on Neighborhoods and Household Outcomes in New York City

Abstract

This paper will report results on a series of empirical studies using simple linear regression and fixed effects regressions, with the objective of examining the impact of public housing on neighborhoods in New York City, which contains the largest public housing authority in the country. I am interested in seeing if public housing has negative impacts on neighborhood attributes, contributing to a ‘poverty trap’ for individuals placed in public housing, where their education and income outcomes are reduced. My hypothesis is that high concentrations of public housing are associated with negative neighborhood outcomes, reflecting the negative effects of concentrated poverty. My study pays particular attention to the racial and ethnic composition of public housing residents in these select neighborhoods, acknowledging the disproportionate representation of black and brown communities in these areas. Through a nuanced analysis of census tract data in New York City, I aim to assess whether public housing developments serve as a catalyst for neighborhood decline. This thesis contributes to the ongoing debate on the efficacy of public housing policies and their role in perpetuating or alleviating urban poverty.