Samantha Washburn-Baronie (shown here with Sen. Elizabeth Warren) attended The New School from 2007 – 2010 and graduated with a degree in Urban Studies. A native to Massachusetts, Samantha returned to her home state and began a career in government and politics. She currently serves as the Deputy Director of the Office of Economic Empowerment for the State Treasurer. Samantha found her way to The New School because she desired opportunities for hands-on learning experiences and to be surrounded by other students looking to make a difference in their communities. While at The New School, she became increasingly interested in issues around economic security, particularly how the gender wage g
--Dedication of the William Igoe Homes, St. Louis, 1956. In 2012 I served as guest editor for a special issue of the Journal of the American Planning Association on 75 years of public housing in the U.S. The purpose was to mark the anniversary of the passage of the U.S. Housing Act of 1937, which launched the federal public housing program. The journal issue included an introduction, six feature articles, and six brief 'planning notes' on specific topics, all by leading scholars in the field. I am making available here (by clicking the image above) the overview piece that I wrote titled "The Strange Career of Public Housing: Policy, Planning, and the American Metropolis in the Twentieth C
