In this essay, application of the equal-status contact hypothesis to the policy of integrated housing is reassessed by reviewing the findings from two studies of interracial public housing. Assessment of the relative level of interracial intimacy in the integrated projects is hindered by measures lacking in clarity and comprehensiveness, but the data actually reported suggest that both inter-and intraracial contacts were not particularly intimate. Although not designed to replicate or extend the findings of these studies, a study of four integrated, low-income public housing projects in Syracuse contained data which raise further doubts about interracial intimacy. The studies are interpreted in light of the voluntaristic nature of neighboring in urban society. (Author)