Abstract
The purpose of this study is to introduce the design and early implementation results of Choice Neighborhoods(Choice) initiative, which is the most recent version of public housing policies in the United States designed and implemented under the Obama administration. The Choice initiative aims to support a wide range of strategies locally driven to address problems in disadvantaged neighborhoods with an emphasis on a comprehensive approach to transforming those neighborhoods. In this study, first, I briefly review the history of public housing policies since 1937, particularly focusing on limitations of HOPE VI(Housing Opportunity for People Everywhere) projects to understand the context behind the advent of the program. Second, I introduce the overall design of the Choice program and point out how this programs' design differs from previous public housing programs by reviewing the literature on federal guidelines for the Choice program. This study particularly focuses on introducing social services given to existing residents in public housing and their neighborhoods in redevelopment processes. These social services are intended to address poverty-related problems that public housing residents often confront, to help them break out of the cycle of poverty, and to minimize the negative impacts of relocation triggered by redevelopment. Third, to examine how this program has been implemented and has revealed limitations so far, I review an interim evaluation report based on five cities. This study ends with discussing policy implications for public housing providers and housing policy-makers in South Korea.