Housing Laws

Question 1

Tenement House Act of 1867

Answer 1

the first major housing code in the U.S. The Act required all rooms within tenements to have windows, but it did not require windows to open to the outside.

Question 2

Tenement House Act of 1879

Answer 2

This law required that windows open to outside air, which resulted in the dumbbell tenement housing type with open air shafts. This form of housing, referred to as “Old Law Tenements,” was built throughout New York City starting in 1879, but often had poor lighting, little air, and little space.

Question 3

Tenement House Law of 1901

Answer 3

outlawed dumbbell tenements. The new housing code was vigorously enforced by the City. The City required inspection and permits for construction and alterations. It also required wide light and air areas between buildings, as well as toilets and running water in each apartment unit.

Question 4

Neighborhood Unit Concept

Answer 4

Published by Clarance Perry in 1929. The Neighborhood Unit Concept defines a neighborhood based on a five-minute walking radius, with a school at its center. Each neighborhood is approximately 160 acres.

Question 5

National Housing Act of 1934

Answer 5

established the Federal Housing Administration with the purpose of insuring home mortgages.

Question 6

Resettlement Administration

Answer 6

used New Deal funds to develop new towns throughout the U.S. Three of these were the “Greenbelt” communities of Greendale, WI, Greenhills, OH, and Greenbelt, MD, which are all in existence today. Rexford Tugwell was the head.

Question 7

Housing Act of 1937

Answer 7

provided $500 million in home loans for the development of low-cost housing. This Act tied slum clearance to public housing. In addition, Section 8 of the Housing Act of 1937 authorized project-based rental assistance where the owner reserves some or all of the units in a building for low-income tenants

Question 8

Housing Act of 1949

Answer 8

first comprehensive housing legislation passed in the U.S. The Act called for the construction of 800,000 new housing units and emphasized slum clearance.

Question 9

Housing Act of 1954

Answer 9

called for slum prevention and urban renewal. Additionally, the Act provided funding for planning for cities under 25,000 population. The 701 funds were later expanded to allow for statewide, interstate, and regional planning.

Question 10

Housing Act of 1959

Answer 10

made federal matching funds available for comprehensive planning at the metropolitan, regional, state, and interstate levels.

Question 11

Housing Act of 1961

Answer 11

provided interest subsidies to nonprofit organizations, limited-dividend corporations, cooperatives, and public agencies for the construction of public housing projects for low and moderate income families to rent.

Question 12

Housing Act of 1974

Answer 12

amended the 1937 act to create what is known as “Section 8 Housing”

Question 13

Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965

Answer 13

formed U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The act also put into place rent subsidies for the poor, home loans at reduced interest rates, and subsidies for public housing projects.

Question 14

Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944

Answer 14

commonly known as the GI Bill, guaranteed home loans to veterans. The result was the rapid development of suburbs.

Question 15

Fair Housing Act

Answer 15

Comprised of titles 8 through 9 of the Civil Rights Act of 1968. This was an expansion of previous acts to prohibit discrimination concerning the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin, and since 1974, sex. Since 1988, the act protects people with disabilities and families with children.

Question 16

Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968

Answer 16

provided for the construction of six million subsidized housing units. The Act also authorized monthly subsidies for private houses for low-income families.