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Full-Text Articles in Law

Blighting The Way: Urban Renewal, Economic Development, And The Elusive Definition Of Blight, Colin Gordon Jan 2004

Blighting The Way: Urban Renewal, Economic Development, And The Elusive Definition Of Blight, Colin Gordon

Fordham Urban Law Journal

This article examines the way municipalities have used increasingly broad interpretations of "blight" to compete for state tax increment financing (TIFs) for economic development purposes. It traces the definition of blight in the context of state and federal urban redevelopment programs from the nineteenth century through the Progressive Era to the advent of TIF laws in the 1980s and 90s. It goes on to discuss the how the concept of "blight" has shifted from a condition of substandard housing to a condition of "sub-optimal" local economic development, in part due to intense competition among municipalities for TIFs. The article concludes …


Let Them Rent Cake: George Pataki, Market Ideology, And The Attempt To Dismantle Rent Regulation In New York, Craig Gurian Jan 2004

Let Them Rent Cake: George Pataki, Market Ideology, And The Attempt To Dismantle Rent Regulation In New York, Craig Gurian

Fordham Urban Law Journal

This article examines the ideological and political struggle over rent regulation that was waged by rent regulation opponents in the Spring of 1997. Part I traces the debate as it unfolded in 1997, including the role of legislative leaders, the governor, the press, and anti-regulation advocates. It focuses on the assumptions about the market shared by the various anti-regulation protagonists, and on the factors starkly omitted from their analyses. Part II sets forth the results of the debate, examining the provisions and consequences of the "Rent Regulation Reform Act of 1997," including the legislation passed in 2003 to extend rent …


The Continuing Crisis In Affordable Housing: Systemic Issues Requiring Systemic Solutions, Paulette J. Williams Jan 2004

The Continuing Crisis In Affordable Housing: Systemic Issues Requiring Systemic Solutions, Paulette J. Williams

Fordham Urban Law Journal

This article compares programs designed to provide rental housing and programs designed to promote homeownership and attempts to determine which of the existing programs better promotes economic security among the population both are designed to benefit. Part II presents a framework for a discussion of affordable housing policy issues, outlining the complex environment of affordable housing development, and the multiple interests that need to be involved in developing any coherent policy. Part III gives a short history of public housing policies from 1937 to the end of the twentieth century. Part IV discusses the major rental housing programs, including the …


Housing Gideon: The Right To Counsel In Eviction Cases , Rachel Kleinman Jan 2004

Housing Gideon: The Right To Counsel In Eviction Cases , Rachel Kleinman

Fordham Urban Law Journal

While the legal system recognizes an indigent’s constitutional right to counsel in a criminal trial the same is not true with respect to civil cases. This Comment examines this legal reality by focusing specifically on an indigent’s inability to gain access to counsel within the confines of eviction proceedings. The author lays out the arguments for both those who favor recognizing an indigent’s right to counsel in eviction proceedings and those opposed to recognizing that right. Ultimately, absent an indigent’s access to counsel in these civil cases, their ability to have any sort of meaningful access to justice is seriously …