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Winner of the 2010 Outstanding Academic Title sponsored by the American Library Association's Choice Magazine

That America entered a profound housing crisis in 2008 is well known. The wave of foreclosures that began to sweep the nation has had radical economic effects. But the force, ramifications, and implications for communities across America have never been spelled out as clearly and thoroughly as they are in Foreclosing the Dream.

As he did in Tomorrow's Cities, Tomorrow's Suburbs, William H. Lucy has taken a clear-eyed and meticulous look at the latest data and found lessons that the mainstream discussion has overlooked—particularly with regard to the spatial and demographic implications of the housing crisis. The housing market did not collapse uniformly, and the pain has not been felt equally in all age groups.

Planners, public officials, activists, students, and others will benefit from Lucy's analysis of the real shape of the crisis, for what happens next will reflect these inequities. Lucy pulls no punches in this taut, readable assessment of what the crisis will mean for the shapes of our exurbs, older suburbs, and central cities. No responsible planner or housing professional can afford to miss this book.