Routledge The Unsheltered Woman: Women and Housing

Defining the "unsheltered woman" and her needs is a complicated task. Regardless of the roots of the condition, a significant number of women are not being housed as well as they could be. Women are not the only victims of an inadequately met housing demand; their families suffer as well. This volume provides sources of information for understanding which women are ill-housed and why their shelter is substandard.Birch reviews basic demographic issues and trends in household formation, using census information to reveal which groups in the country and in New York City have housing problems. The essays then turn to the needs of special groups of women: elderly women, working-class women, and professional women - married and single. Later essays investigate locational and design issues related to women's concerns: a model case study in Denver; high-rise housing in New York City; neighborhood housing for the elderly in Manhattan.The author has gathered together more than twenty of the top professionals in the field including Susan Cotts Watkins, Evelyn S. Mann, May Engler, Roberta R. Spohn, Olivia Schieffelin Nordberg, Barbara Behrens Gers, Susan Saegert, Elizabeth Mackintosh, Gwendolyn Wright, Dolores Hayden, Jacqueline Leavitt, Ronnie Feit, Jan Peterson, Michael Mostoller, Clara Fox, Celine G. Marcus, Jane Margolies, Lynda Simmons, Judith Edelman, Rebecca A. Lee, and Michael A. Stegman. The Unsheltered Woman is significant not only for women, but also for housing policy in America. Until now, very little research has focused on gender policy issues, as such it should be read by all urban planners, policy makers, and housing authorities. Review <p> “I found the collection to be both informative and a catalyst for new ideas. I recommend it to anyone interested in urban questions, housing, research on women, or the interaction between changing household composition and living arrangements in the United States. It could be usefully incorporated into classes in planning, geography, women’s studies, architecture, and environmental design at the undergraduate or graduate level.”</p> <p> —Hazel A. Morrow-Jones, <em>Geographical Reviews</em></p> <p> “<em>The Unsheltered Woman</em> is an exciting book—exciting because of its all-too-rare subject matter; because of its refreshing ideas; because of its origins; and most of all because it demonstrates the legitimacy of gender-conscious approach to planning.”</p> <p> —Mary Brailey, <em>Urban Studies</em></p> About the Author <p> <em>Eugenie Ladner Birch </em>is Lawrence C. Nussdorf Chair of Urban Research and Education in the University of Pennsylvania’s department of city and regional planning. She also currently serves as co-chair of the Penn Institute for Urban Research. Her numerous books include <em>Neighborhood and Life Chances</em>, <em>Rebuilding Urban Places After Disaster: Lessons from Hurricane Katrina</em>, and <em>Urban and Regional Planning Reader</em>.</p>