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The Battle Over Mt. Laurel (1985-04-19)
About this film
"In 1975, in a landmark decision of national importance, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that suburban municipalities cannot use zoning laws to keep low-income people from moving into their communities. It was called the Mt. Laurel decision, and since 1975 it's been one of the most perplexing and enduring issues in the public life of the state of New Jersey. "No other state has gone as far in establishing a 'right to housing.' But here in New Jersey, virtually no housing has been built as a result of the ruling. Suburban towns have resisted it, and even after a second Supreme Court decision, Mt. Laurel II, the poor in New Jersey remain zoned out of suburban towns where all the new jobs are being created. "In 1985, the situation came to a head as the state legislature tried to soften the Mt. Laurel doctrine. Mt. Laurel became at once the hottest and the least understood issue in the state. It's a complicated issue. Zoning is not well understood by reporters or the general public. To most journalists it's inherently dull (and non-visual). "But the situation in New Jersey cried out for explanation. So we at New Jersey Network undertook a half-hour documentary -- 'The Battle Over Mt…
Directors & creators
New Jersey Network (Firm)
Subjects
public broadcasting, AAPB, Mount Laurel decision, Mount Laurel II, New Jersey Supreme Court, Michael Aaron, Ethel Lawrence, Carl Bisgaier, Robert Wilentz, Betty Wagner, Alan Danser, William Moran, Edward Buss Simonson, Peter Garibaldi, Ray Bateman, NAACP, National Association of Home Builders, New Jersey Network, affordable housing, zoning laws, suburban development, builders remedy, Cranbury New Jersey, Mount Laurel New Jersey
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