The Affordable Housing Reader brings together classic works and contemporary writing on the themes and debates that have invigorated the field of affordable housing policy as well as the challenges arising in achieving the goals of policy on the ground. The reader aimed at professors, students, and researchers provides an overview of the literature on housing policy and planning that is both comprehensive and interdisciplinary. It is particularly suited for graduate and undergraduate courses on housing policy offered to students of public policy and city planning.

The volume is structured around the key debates in affordable housing, ranging from the conflicting motivations for housing policy, through analysis of the causes of and solutions to housing problems, to concerns about gentrification and housing and race. Each debate is contextualized in an introductory essay by the editors, and illustrated with a range of texts and articles.