Middle Neighborhoods

Middle Neighborhoods are a category of neighborhoods in US cities that are neither clearly healthy and thriving, nor overtly distressed. These communities have housing prices just above and below the median for their jurisdictions and offer a reasonable quality of life, but are in danger of falling into decline. Nearly half the US urban population... lives in a middle neighborhood and they play a critical role in safeguarding the livelihood and stability of families, helping to keep them out of poverty. Generally, affordable, stable and safe, these neighborhoods are threatened by the shrinking middle class, the suburbanization of jobs, obsolete housing styles, and declining homeownership rates. When neighborhoods decline, large numbers of modest-income households, many of which are people of color, lose wealth due to home price decline, further widening the wealth gap in the nation. The steep climb out of decline for a neighborhood is long and often prohibitively costly. On the Edge: Americas Middle Neighborhoods, a recent book edited by Paul C. Brophy and published by The American Assembly aims to stimulate a national dialogue about middle neighborhoods. Through case studies and essays by leading policymakers, community development professionals, and scholars, this volume explores the complex web of neighborhoods transitioning for better or worse across America. Middle neighborhoods are an important, yet barely understood resource to cities and inner ring suburbs, they provide a substantial portion of local property-tax revenue, and can create a path to wealth building for modest income households through home appreciation. Despite the challenges to middle neighborhoods, pilot programs have demonstrated that many can be stabilized at a very low intervention cost.Read More