Housing was a major issue in the 1948 elections, and the landmark Housing Act of 1949 ensued. Today, housing is barely on the political radar screen, despite the fact that the nation has serious housing problems. This article reviews the political coalition and strategy that led to the Housing Act of 1949 and compares them with the political coalition and potential for housing today. Three key factors explain the effectiveness of the 1949 campaign: Progressive housing advocates in the 1930s and 1940s (1) had a radical vision of federal housing policy, (2) were part of a broader movement for social reform that linked housing to other issues and built alliances with organized labor, and (3) worked with this broad coalition to mobilize the urban and labor vote, activating a constituency for housing reform. Rebuilding this constituency requires learning lessons from this successful effort and adapting them to contemporary political and economic circumstances.
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