Book Review: Blue Chicago: The Search for Authenticity in Urban Blues Clubs
Abstract
appraisers and lenders. He advocates comprehensive credit counseling for borrowers of high-cost loans in order to make these networks work for, rather than against, such borrowers. And he proposes the elimination of exclusionary zoning laws to amelio- rate the adverse effects of gentrification and resegregation. If they read this book, lenders, regulators, and the neoclassical economists serving these institutions may be hearing these messages for the first time. They may be puz- zled by the attention to the role of social values in the rule-making process, the biased impact of professional networks, and the concept of neighborhood effects. But other scholars may realize that much of Stuart's message has been articulated by sociolo- gists, other social scientists, and fair-housing experts. The subjective nature of many lending rules; the collaboration of real estate agents, appraisers, and lenders; and the consequent segmentation of urban space are not entirely new findings. And the con- tinuing challenge, which Stuart barely addresses, is how the remedies he and others propose might be realized. Key political questions remain. If lending practices are to change, where will the pressure come from to generate that change? To what extent can legislative bodies and regulatory agencies provide