Mark Joseph Begins Blogging for NHI's Shelterforce Magazine

Associate Professor Mark Joseph, PhD, founding director of the National Initiative on Mixed-Income Communities and a Faculty Associate of the Poverty Center, is now regularly blogging for Rooflines, the community development blog of Shelterforce Magazine, published by the National Housing Institute.

His first blog post, "A Critical Piece of the Mixed Income Puzzle," was published on February 19. In it, Dr. Joseph examines the societal elements required for mixed-income communities to truly work, outlining three central concepts he has developed over the course of his extensive research on mixed-income communities: activating the mix, effective neighboring and vigilant humanism.

"Vigilance is required because we must combat deeply ingrained instincts to label and prejudge. This will be a lifelong quest for each of us given all the forces that continually push in the direction of 'us versus them' dynamics," writes Dr. Joseph.

He also states that residential integration can sometimes create more (rather than less) marginalization through "incorporated inclusion," a term he and Dr. Robert Chaskin developed while working on their book, Integrating the Inner City: The Promise and Perils of Mixed-Income Public Housing Transformation.

For more of Dr. Mark Joseph's publications on mixed-income communities, click here.