Excluded

How Snob Zoning, NIMBYism, and Class Bias Build the Walls We Don't See

By: Richard D. Kahlenberg

Narrated by: Graham Winton

An indictment of America's housing policy that reveals the social engineering underlying our segregation by economic class, the social and political fallout that result, and what we can do about it

The last acceptable form of prejudice in America is based on class and executed through state-sponsored economic discrimination, which is hard to see because it is much more subtle than raw racism.

While the American meritocracy officially denounces prejudice based on race and gender, it has spawned a new form of bias against those with less education and income. Millions of working-class Americans have their opportunity blocked by exclusionary snob zoning. These government policies make housing unaffordable, frustrate the goals of the civil rights movement, and lock in inequality in our urban and suburban landscapes.

Through moving accounts of families excluded from economic and social opportunity as they are hemmed in through “new redlining” that limits the type of housing that can be built, Richard Kahlenberg vividly illustrates why America has a housing crisis. He also illustrates why economic segregation matters since where you live affects access to transportation, employment opportunities, decent health care, and good schools. He shows that housing choice has been socially engineered to the benefit of the affluent, and, that astonishingly the most restrictive zoning is found in politically liberal cities where racial views are more progressive.

Despite this there is hope. Kahlenberg tells the inspiring stories of growing number of local and national movements working to tear down the walls that inflicts so much damage on the lives of millions of Americans.

©2023 Richard D. Kahlenberg (P)2023 PublicAffairs

Critic reviews

“A valuable guide to fixing one of America’s most enduring social ills.”—Publishers Weekly

“A thoughtful, worthy argument for fair-housing reforms that are truly fair.” —Kirkus

Exclusionary Housing Policy: The core problem facing America in 2024

This book demonstrates the way seemingly innocuous housing policy has lead to greater income and racial segregation, reduces social mobility, harms the environment, leads to lower economic growth and greater animosity in our democratic system. Housing is a fundamental component of human flourishing and removing government sponsored housing discrimination can positively impact each of the problems listed above. An extremely important book for understanding the current political environment and one of the best books I have read in years.

This Book is a Solid Step Forward For America

The book illustrates with great detail and great story telling the multitude of reasons housing policy at local levels is hurting Americans overall. This should be a foundational text for urban planners and city officials involved in zoning. The author presents the case for reducing the current zoning laws and other restrictions on building and zoning for multiple family homes. He clearly shows how issues with housing affordability is directly caused by restrictive zoning laws and it’s negative downstream effects on the middle class and lower classes. The disproportionate effects on people of color, poor whites and others is lane bare.

My only disagreement is with his view on expanding the suburbs. He takes a traditionally liberal view that sprawl leads to more pollution and environmental effects, but does not discuss the benefits to mental health of living in less densely packed areas or address how the EV revolution should diminish the majority of environmental concerns about sprawl. Land zoned as farm land and more government owned land should be zoned to allow for home building. Farmers choosing to sell land in areas that people want to live is natural. Usually, farming moves to less productive areas where people don’t want to live which is how societies and cities have grown since ancient times. My view is that nearly all home building is good building. Societies that don’t grow decay, as the rise of homelessness has so vividly illustrated.

Everyone should read

This is an incredible book about how pernicious zoning is for less privileged people of any race or ethnicity. It is well researched and articulate. Although I thought I was familiar with the ills of zoning, I didn't realize it was so much worse in the US than other developed countries. He makes a convincing case that zoning is hurting all of us and that we desperately need zoning reform. This is a must read for everyone who cares about housing.

Great book I hope everyone reads this

I hope this book ends up being widely read. It seems like it has the potential to spark a national conversation the way the color of law has.