Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 1981. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH. / Bibliography: leaves 105-110. / by Kerry Ann McNally. / M.C.P.

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of City and Regional Planning, 1999. / "June, 1967." / Includes bibliographical references. / Boston's public housing program is plagued with problems, both social and physical, some of which are common to housing authorities throughout the country, and some of which are unique to Boston. The Boston Housing Authority has been under attack from civil rights groups for racial discrimination, and from other liberal groups for its out-moded policies and philosophies. The members of the 5-man Authority have been criticized as unqualified, politically-motivated, and lacking in understanding of the special needs of the problem families who are increasingly the inhabitants of public housing. In spite of a waiting list of 4,500 families, no new family public housing has been built in Boston in 13 years. Although several new programs -- leased housing, turnkey, rehabilitation, rent supplement -- have been tried, none is operating with maximum effectiveness. Increasing vandalism, crime, disrepair, and tenant complaints about indifferent managers, indolent maintenance men, and unreasonable tenant regulations, all attest to a need for re-evaluation of the program. This thesis is, in essence, a case study of the Boston Housing Authority. It examines the organizational structure, the policies, and the operations of the BHA, and describes the people who run it: the Board, the Administrator, the department heads, the project managers, the staff. It analyzes present BRA programs, and assesses their effectiveness in the face of today's needs. It identifies those inadequacies which are the result of internal BHA management and structure, and those which are the result of state and federal legislation over which the BHA has little direct control. It attempts to evaluate the extent to which political patronage and nepotism -- in selection of tenants, in hiring of employees, in appointment of Authority members -- affect the program and its operation. In the concluding sections, recommendations are made for changes that seem indicated: Those which could be made within and by the BHA itself, those which could be made only by the Mayor of Boston, and those which would require legislative action at both state and federal levels. In brief, the thesis asks, "What is wrong with Boston's public housing program?" and suggests what could be done to improve it if the citizens of Boston want a more vigorous and viable program. / by May Boulter Hipshman. / M.C.P.

Thesis. 1979. M.C.P.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH. / Bibliography: leaves 154-157. / M.C.P.

Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1982. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH. / Bibliography: leaves 179-182. / Major "redevelopment" projects are being planned and undertaken by the Boston Housing Authority to reverse the "cycle of deterioration" threatening the existence of most of Boston's largest and oldest public housing developments. This thesis focuses on the West Broadway and Franklin Field Developments which have together been earmarked by State and Federal governments to receive a total of nearly $50 million for "redevelopment" programs. The central problem concerning this thesis is the lack of design and programmatic principles with which to apply not only the information generated by recent housing research but that of the collective service needs, capacities and responsibilities existing for present and future communities in public housing. The physical and social contexts as the West Broadway Development are examined as the bases for design and programmatic "propositions" generated to define the following "organizational elements": circulation hierarchy, residential clustering, service supports and facilities, and service facility clusters. The propositions are intended to provide explicit definition to existing and potential levels of resident organization and collective service responsibilities, levels which are seen as essential where residents are destined to become increasingly more involved in the management, maintenance and security of their non-private living environment. The "propositions" are then applied to the Franklin Field development to evaluate their generalizability outside a specific context. The application served both to illuminate a number of new opportunities for and constraints upon the use of the propositions and to distinguish general 'service zones' which represent relatively distinct sets of security and maintenance problems and associations between household clusters. A compilation of relevant excerpts from recent housing research literature is presented in the Appendices to supplement the analyses, and propositions forwarded for each of the main "organizational elements" as highlighted in the main chapters. / by Rad Collier Acton. / M.Arch.

Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture; and, (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 1981. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH. / Includes bibliographies. / Columbia Point, Boston's largest and most stigmatized public housing project, has been a focal point for public and private. investment strategies to create a new mixed-income residential community. Columbia Point provided attractive housing for 1,500 families or close to 6,000 people for more than 15 years. Presently, only 350 households remain. Problems in management, maintenance and lack of concern for low-income housing led to the rapid deterioration of the project in the 1960s. More than a dozen redevelopment plans have been proposed which have spanned four periods of active initiatives by the major actors. This thesis examines the history of the planning process and the rationale for the proposed redevelopment plan. The implication of redevelopment on the low-income population as related to four main issues is addressed: private redevelopment, mixed-income housing, demolition and disposition of public housing, and the proposed physical design. The study concludes that the events surrounding Columbia Point and the evidence presented in the plans do not justify the recent proposals for demolition or disposition, nor is private redevelopment an appropriate solution to the problem. Significant losses will be sustained by the low-income population if the present plan is implemented. Moreover, mixed-income housing is overstated as a desirable goal and is fraught with serious problems. Recommendations are made to the Boston Housing Authority to insure that necessary measures are taken so that the low-income population will benefit from the revitalization of Columbia Point. / by Sharon Hsueh-Jen Lee. / M.Arch.

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 1971. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 111-114). / by Cheryl Marlene Miller. / M.C.P.

Thesis. 1979. M.C.P. cn--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH. / Bibliography: leaves 132-136. / by Marilynn K. Bergman. / M.C.P.cn

Thesis. 1977. M.C.P.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH. / Bibliography : leaves 108-109. / M.C.P.

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning; and, (M. Arch. in Advanced Studies)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1977. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 156-158). / by Deborah Walne Poodry. / M.Arch.in Advanced Studies / M.C.P.