Geography
Up against the law: Legal structuring of political opportunities in neighborhood opposition to group home siting in Massachusetts
Document Type
Article
Abstract
Conflicts over siting of group homes for people transitioning out of homelessness or struggling with addiction illustrate the multiscalar dynamics at play between locally-based activism and supra-local laws. In Massachusetts, the state-scale legal environment limits the effectiveness of opposition to group housing; nonetheless, such opposition occurs at the municipal level. Drawing on media accounts, official documents, and interviews with stakeholders in conflicts over group home siting in Worcester, Massachusetts, I investigate the dynamics between neighborhood place claims, the responses of the local state, and the state-wide laws governing group home siting. Examining the legal frameworks relevant to social movement grievances demonstrate that law structures the political opportunities available for protest and local government response. © 2013 Copyright © 2013 Taylor & Francis.
Publication Title
Urban Geography
Publication Date
2013
Volume
34
Issue
4
First Page
523
Last Page
540
ISSN
0272-3638
DOI
10.1080/02723638.2013.790640
Keywords
legislation, local government, neighborhood, popular protest, social movement, urban policy, urban politics
Repository Citation
Martin, Deborah G., "Up against the law: Legal structuring of political opportunities in neighborhood opposition to group home siting in Massachusetts" (2013). Geography. 352.
https://commons.clarku.edu/faculty_geography/352
Worcester
Yes
