The Housing Market and Population Vulnerabilities: Perceptions in a Fordist and a Post-Fordist Context

摘要

Drawing on qualitative interviews and participatory urban-appraisal tools, this paper analyzes household perceptions on the five elements of Lawrence and Su-Yeul's market-led pluralism (M-LP) framework (2008). It uses post-Fordist Columbus, Ohio, and Fordist Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as testing grounds for these household perspectives. M-LP suggests that at the center of contemporary housing market lie five elements: developers/builders who unveil new urban spaces with culturally open communities; lending agencies that offer affordable mortgages to all; real estate brokers/agents who have moved past discriminatory practices; consumers whose preferences emphasize class-type elements; and communities that impose development agendas. While many felt that the housing market of the mid-2000s was racially blind, race still played a crucial role in driving home-buying decisions, especially in Milwaukee. Columbus respondents aligned more closely with M-LP, putting greater emphasis on class, but they also used phrases and words to blur race and class distinction. Both metropolises, though, illustrated complex intertwining between class and culture.