Private Neighborhoods and the Transformation of Local Government (Urban Institute Press) First Edition

Start with the Great Dilemma of progressive governance: government must control the economy and the social conditions of the country, which requires that well-trained professionals with extensive knowledge must manage and administer public life. But this system is inherently anti-progressive because it is not democratic – the people *can not* have a say in their governance because the people are not qualified. So far, Progressives have been unable to reconcile this contradiction.Unrest has plagued the progressive movement as, generation after generation, the Downtrodden have figured it out: their *job* is to be The Oppressed so that progressive elites can propose solutions and expand their own power and reach. Progressives’ employment, wealth, and prestige rest on those people remaining Oppressed. (Read “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” by Ursula K. Le Guin to see an artful rendering of this progressive dilemma.) The Downtrodden and Oppressed then rise up against “the system” until more goodies are handed their way.And in the background, another, a different cycle plays out: While Progressives and The Oppressed play make-believe in the cities, most people are unhappy with urban living conditions, including congestion, crime, corruption, and crowding. Taxes increase to buy peace from the violent rioters and employ more progressives, but public services steadily decline. And then the gainfully employed people move outside the city limits to safer, quieter, roomier digs in the suburbs, away from the grasp of progressive governance.This book is positive about individual choice, freedom of association, and the public’s overall withdrawal from larger municipalities. It encourages voluntary consent to local government and the freedom to exit. It sees great promise in the self-governing habits of private homeowners associations, and explores what changes in the legal system could bring about even more local control. The author views homeowner association assessments as *much fairer* than taxes, in that they are non-redistributive and they benefit each homeowner in the system.A lengthy section examines the benefits of private delivery of public services that accrue to large homeowner associations in areas like utility services, parking regulation, policing, fire protection, and then imagines more: school vouchers or privately operated local schools within a neighborhood with payments rebated from property taxes; the ability to opt out of expensive public services and avoid the government pay limitations and requirements that restrict employment opportunities to union employees.The author imagines the benefits that would be possible for urban locations where housing already exists to form associations and take control of their own neighborhoods, developing self-governance and opposing harmful city policies. (447) What if public housing formed associations? Imagine the possibilities.And then more! What if rural landowners formed associations to determine for themselves proper use of the land, thwarting city zoning and growth policies and holding out for the most satisfactory, lucrative and mutually beneficial uses of the land. Perhaps a highway or toll road to alleviate congestion would be a good use for land otherwise slated to become generically developed. Privately operated toll roads might become an income stream for rural landholders who are watching the city grow nearer.This book is exciting. It is full of new ideas that are fun to think about. Treat yourself!

This book is a treasure drove of data, history, recommendations, and positive speculation on the phenomena of Homeowners' Associations and their exciting and promising effect on our democracy. I would have given Nelson's work a 5.0 except for the fact that, as the Forward points out, the book is really several books in one. As a result I found it somewhat repetitious (OK - I got it on the effect of the Progressive Era on land use!) and not particularly an easy read - at least front to back. It just seems too chopped up from an organizational standpoint. (My opinion is probably jaded by the fact that just before reading Private Government I had whizzed through Evan McKenzie's 1994 work Privatopia, practically in one sitting - even though I disagreed wholeheartedly with most of McKenzie's negative take on Homeowner Associations.)Readability not withstanding, as a very active member in my neighborhoods association - I just completed a three-year term as President - I heartily endorse Private Governments as a must have for anyone wishing to get a comprehensive view of what promises to be an ever-expanding feature of our democracy.

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I give this book the five-star rating because it opens up a subject that is little remarked yet may well be the way that will revolutionize our way of living in the future. Nelson reveals that perhaps 20% of Americans now live in private homeowner associations that constitute self-governing communities. Although we consider secession to have been put down forever in 1865, the fact is that many Americans are quietly withdrawing into their own self-governing comunities based on private property ownership -- a condition that the independence-resistant federal government still feels Constitution-bound to protect. There now are more than 250,000 such private associations, and thousands more on the way. If you want to get a sense for the ongoing revolution in the "American Way," this book is a fine primer.