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Research on the evolution of public housing policy in United States - Suggestions for public housing policy in China

Wang Xu,

This paper, systematically, introduces the public housing policy in United States, from 1865 to 2000. According to the characteristics of the public housing policy in each period, the author divides it into four stages, embryonic stage (1865–1929), exploratory stage (1930–1964), development stage (1965–1973 years), mature stage (1974–2000). Then, four laws of evolution of public housing policy in the United States are drew from the analysis: first, participation mode of government changes from the government-led to market-driven; secondly, security objects are altered from middle and low income group to low income group; thirdly, security target is turned from directly providing the supply of the public house to giving the subsidy to the demanding group; fourthly, security mode is transformed from fixed construction of public house to providing the free choice for residents. The author sums up four main factors that affect the public housing policy in the United States, political events at home and abroad, the objective laws of urban development, progress of science and technology, the new liberal ideas prevailing. Finally, this paper poses four suggestions for China's public housing policy, based on experience in the United States: guiding the effective housing supply and effective demand, to control housing prices; providing free choice to promote living mix, eliminating the spatial differentiation; optimizing urban spatial structure, to improve the performance of ensuring housing space; strengthen the market participation, to avoid government failure.