Mobile Home Parks as Gentrification Flashpoints

The Iowa State Supreme Court recently sided with a resident of a mobile home park over the city of Des Moines, which had worked to shut the entire mobile home park down.

1 minute read

July 9, 2018, 2:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell

Kev Llewellyn / Shutterstock

Carey L. Biron reports on the conclusion of a legal controversy surrounding the Oak Hill Mobile Home Park in Des Moines that reached all the way to the Iowa Supreme Court.

The case pitted Mark Ogden, who lived with his family of four in the mobile home park, against the city of Des Moines. The city tried to shut down the park, citing violations of the zoning code, where 30 families reside. Ogden's lawyers described the legal case against the case as "gentrification on trial." In the end, the court produced a unanimous decision in favor of Ogden.

The article details the long history of mobile homes as affordable housing—a trend that has new relevance in recent years as housing prices soar in cities around the country.

FULL STORY: 'Gentrification on trial' as U.S. city's bid to shut trailer park fails

Thursday, July 5, 2018 in Thomas Reuters Foundation

Housing Land Use Iowa Des Moines Mobile Home Parks Affordable Housing manufactured homes View More

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