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

Worcester

Yes

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