Stacked Decks: Building Inspectors and the Reproduction of Urban Inequality

A startling look at the power and perspectives of city building inspectors as they navigate unequal housing landscapes.

Though we rarely see them at work, building inspectors have the power to significantly shape our lives through their discretionary decisions. The building inspectors of Chicago are at the heart of sociologist Robin Bartram’s analysis of how individuals impact—or attempt to impact—housing inequality. In Stacked Decks, she reveals surprising patterns in the judgment calls i...