Public Private Partnerships (PPPs), formed to create affordable homes, have been justifying their existence over the past few years by extolling the superiority of mixed income housing. It’s an argument of necessity, because the economics of such projects demand upscale housing to help finance a handful or two of affordable, or even truly affordable homes (ie. housing for people with very low or no income).
Income drives the story. The argument would seem to be that only a sprinkling of middle, or better, upper middle class residents (or even, if you’re lucky enough, upper classes) can ensure a morally, intellectually, and socially superior local neighbourhood.
Shared values, challenges, self image, economic circumstances, or ambition? That kind of homogeneity apparently builds neighbourhoods of losers.
It’s refreshing, therefore to discover the opening of New York’s first housing project funded by and for the LGBTQ+ community. Might one imagine that they’ll be looking to mix up their building classes with say, a set of straight, snooty, upper class bigots, practiced at looking down their noses at anything and everything?
One might, were one to believe that the upper classes are nature’s great harmonizers, gathering their neighbours to hold hands around campfires for poignant renditions of Kum-by-a My Lord.
While holding your breath for such an event, it might be worthy to consider the nature of LGBTQ+ community-welcoming and community-building activities that welcome the new residents to their homes. Are there some useful thoughts here for the cooperative engagement that might be employed when building new public housing projects?
Read more at CNN: First NYC housing complex bought by and for the LGBTQ+ community opens
