Scholarship & Credentials

My Work

A record that speaks for itself.

Background

I hold a PhD in Urban Planning from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master's in Urban Policy from Tufts University. An interdisciplinary social scientist, I have published in journals spanning urban planning, public policy, housing and community development, geography, law, and history.

My teaching focused on courses in housing and community development, research design and methods, and urban history. I supervised and sat on more than a dozen doctoral dissertation and master's thesis committees.

I have edited three books – the Affordable Housing Reader, Volumes 1 and 2 (with Elizabeth Mueller) and Legacies of Legacy Cities (with Stephanie Ryberg-Webster) and my first sole-authored book, Not Welcome Here is forthcoming in August of 2026.

Published Books

Written by J. Rosie Tighe

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Not Welcome Here

Racism and Property in America

J. Rosie Tighe · Routledge · August 2026

HB $200.00 · PB/EB $57.99

Not Welcome Here examines the history and current context of property and housing to understand how racism and white supremacy have hindered true equality.

Tighe explores how Americans use various means – from racial intimidation to restrictive zoning – to continue to exclude entire races and classes of people from their neighborhoods and communities.

The book is of interest to academics, researchers, policymakers, urban planners, lawyers, and advocates working in fair housing, community development, and anti-racism action.

Available now at:

Praise for Not Welcome Here

As Horrific as it is Relentless

The racism and the anti-black prejudice, in particular, that has animated American housing markets over the past 150 years is as horrific as it is relentless. In this book Rosie Tighe lays out the subtle and unsubtle actions of intentional exclusion and discrimination that have helped to produce the American urban landscape. Not Welcome Here is comprehensive in its description of the actions of white residents and real estate professionals, and the racist attitudes enshrined in public policy at all levels of government that have produced the American system of residential segregation and inequality.

— Ed Goetz, Director, Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota

An Indispensable Roadmap

This powerful book offers a bold and unwavering examination of how the legacy of racism continues to shape America’s landscape of racial and spatial inequality. At a time when certain federal leaders reject systemic discrimination as an explanation for economic and social disparities, Tighe delivers a compelling argument for how structural racism and white supremacy remain central barriers to equity and opportunity for all. Essential reading for scholars, urban planners, and policymakers, this timely manuscript is an indispensable roadmap for addressing racial segregation and advancing equitable community development in an era of deep political division.

— Derek Hyra, Professor of Public Administration and Policy at American University and author of Slow and Sudden Violence: Why and When Uprisings Occur

Tighe Pulls No Punches

Not Welcome Here is a thorough and desperately needed examination of the fundamental racism that has permeated urban housing markets in the U.S. from the very beginning and into the twenty-first century. Tighe pulls no punches. This is the book needed to provide a corrective to the sometimes overly simplistic market-fundamentalist notions of ‘just build more housing’ that increasingly dominate housing policy discussions. In an age where serious scholarship is sadly too often ignored in favor of social media posts, this book is a must read.

— Dan Immergluck, Professor of Urban Studies, Georgia State University

As Horrific as it is Relentless

The racism and the anti-black prejudice, in particular, that has animated American housing markets over the past 150 years is as horrific as it is relentless. In this book Rosie Tighe lays out the subtle and unsubtle actions of intentional exclusion and discrimination that have helped to produce the American urban landscape. Not Welcome Here is comprehensive in its description of the actions of white residents and real estate professionals, and the racist attitudes enshrined in public policy at all levels of government that have produced the American system of residential segregation and inequality.

— Ed Goetz, Director, Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota

An Indispensable Roadmap

This powerful book offers a bold and unwavering examination of how the legacy of racism continues to shape America’s landscape of racial and spatial inequality. At a time when certain federal leaders reject systemic discrimination as an explanation for economic and social disparities, Tighe delivers a compelling argument for how structural racism and white supremacy remain central barriers to equity and opportunity for all. Essential reading for scholars, urban planners, and policymakers, this timely manuscript is an indispensable roadmap for addressing racial segregation and advancing equitable community development in an era of deep political division.

— Derek Hyra, Professor of Public Administration and Policy at American University and author of Slow and Sudden Violence: Why and When Uprisings Occur

Tighe Pulls No Punches

Not Welcome Here is a thorough and desperately needed examination of the fundamental racism that has permeated urban housing markets in the U.S. from the very beginning and into the twenty-first century. Tighe pulls no punches. This is the book needed to provide a corrective to the sometimes overly simplistic market-fundamentalist notions of ‘just build more housing’ that increasingly dominate housing policy discussions. In an age where serious scholarship is sadly too often ignored in favor of social media posts, this book is a must read.

— Dan Immergluck, Professor of Urban Studies, Georgia State University

Scholarly Articles & Book Chapters

Tighe, J. R., & Grogan-Myers, P., 2023 "Housing and Welfare in the United States" in Grander, M. and M. Stephens, eds. The Routledge Handbook on Housing and Welfare. Routledge.

Ganning, J. & Tighe, J.R., 2021 "Moving toward a Shared Understanding of the U.S. Shrinking City" Journal of Planning Education & Research Vol. 41(2) 188–201

Mead, J., Hatch, M., Tighe, J. R, Pappas, M., Andresik, K., & Bonham, E. 2018 "Treating Neighbors as Nuisances: Troubling Applications of Criminal Activity Nuisance Ordinances" Cleveland State Law Review Et Cetera. 66(3)

Tighe, J.R., Hatch, M., & Mead, J. 2017 "Source of Income Discrimination and Fair Housing Policy" Journal of Planning Literature 32(1)

Tighe, J.R. & Ganning, J. 2016 "Do Shrinking Cities Allow Redevelopment without Displacement?" Housing Policy Debate 26(4-5), 785-800

Tighe, J.R. and Opelt, T. 2016 "Collective Memory and Planning: The Continuing Legacy of Urban Renewal in Asheville, NC" Journal of Planning History 15(1)

Scally, C.P. & Tighe, J.R., 2015 "Democracy in Action?: NIMBY as Impediment to Equitable Affordable Housing Siting" Housing Studies 30(5)

Ganning, J. & Tighe, J.R., 2015 "Assessing the Feasibility of Side Yard Programs as a Solution to Land Vacancy in U.S. Shrinking Cities" Urban Affairs Review 51(5)

Tighe, J.R., 2013 "Responding to the Foreclosure Crisis in Appalachia: A Policy Review and Survey of Housing Counselors" Housing Policy Debate: 23:1

Tighe, J.R., 2012 "How Race and Class Stereotyping Shapes Attitudes toward Affordable Housing" Housing Studies 27:8

Tighe, J.R., 2010 "Public Opinion and Affordable Housing: A Review of the Literature" Journal of Planning Literature 25: 2