In 2009, Shashaty left the world of jo
urnalism to become an advocate for affordable housing and sustainable community planning. He founded the nonprofit Partnership for Sustainable Communities and served as editor and publisher of its magazine, Sustainable Communities.
The nonprofit group operated for 5 years and published hundreds of articles on line and in its magazine about innovations in community planning, neighborhood revitalization, transit-oriented development, green building and new ways to make higher density housing more politically acceptable.
Philanthropic support from progressive organizations in the housing development and finance industries allowed the organization to help promote key principles of sustainability. Notable for their support during this time were Retirement Housing Foundation, LIIF, Volunteers of America and Mercy Housing, among others.
Books by Andre Shashaty
The high cost of housing should not surprise anyone who has studied government policy on residential construction and land use, according to Shashaty’s first book. As he explains in depth, local governments, particularly suburban ones, have consistently adopted policies intended to keep housing prices at high levels.
In Rebuilding a Dream, nationally-known housing & urban affairs journalist
Praise for Rebuilding a Dream
“Shashaty’s book is totally on target about the enormous need for affordable housing, the many instances of transformative, high quality, successful mixed income development and the appalling lack of resources for this crucially important work. I applaud his lack of jargon and clear identification of many aspects of the affordable housing crisis.”
—Carol Lamberg, Co-Chair of the New York Housing Conference
Rebuilding a Dream sheds a bright light on the problem of disappearing housing affordability and the resurgence of concentrated poverty in America. It documents the challenges facing many American communities in an era of deep federal and state budget cuts in a very well-researched, readable way. It reveals how the foreclosure crisis continues to undermine cities and hurt families. This book delivers great value to city officials, housing professionals, and all of us committed to the success of American cities. The future of our cities is enormously bright, but only if we face the issues of housing affordability, foreclosure,and economic opportunity head on. I highly recommend it.
—Lee Fisher, President and CEO, CEOs for Cities
In his second b
ook, Shashaty addressed the continuing problem of inequality of opportunity in housing, and how it directly relates to the battle over affordability of housing.
The book makes a bold call for a reexamination of government policies as we approach the 50th anniversary of the start of a series of riots and the brief period of social activism by the federal government that included the creation of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
It explains why we have continued concentrations of poverty and racial and economic segregation and how they are damaging our society. Finally, the book points out that conservative political forces are intent on turning back the clock on what progress has been made in providing housing to all Americans on an equal basis.
PRAISE FOR MASTERS OF INEQUALITY
“In the current public discourse about sustaining the middle class and about addressing inequality, the subject of housing does not figure as a central theme. In his writing, Andre Shashaty strives to correct that national oversight. This book succeeds in persuasively establishing decent and acceptable housing as a centerpiece of social progress. He effectively points out where we as a nation have succeeded in housing solutions and where we have failed. And throughout he reminds us in stirring language of the work that remains to be done. “
— Henry Cisneros, former secretary, U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development