It’s hard to imagine such a detestable ranking today. Unless, of course, you were to consider the so-called "poor door" policy in New York City. In this updated version, developers grab some tax abatements and build a more profitable, denser development than zoning would otherwise allow by agreeing to set aside some units for low-income families in deluxe, high-rise developments. But to ensure — in the Gresham sense — that bad money does not drive out good, the low-income tenants are steered to a separate entrance in the back. In some developments, "rent-regulated" tenants — who are more likely to be elderly or minorities — are required to keep their dirty mitts off the gym equipment, sky lounge furniture, and other amenities.

A Guardian investigation has discovered a growing trend in the capital's upmarket apartment blocks — which are required to include affordable homes in order to win planning permission — for the poorer residents to be forced to use alternative access, a phenomenon being dubbed "poor doors". Even bicycle storage spaces, rubbish disposal facilities and postal deliveries are being separated.

A 33-story building slated to be built on Riverside Boulevard between 61st and 62nd street will have an entirely separate entrance for people of lower socioeconomic means: a door for the poor, or as we call it, a "Poor Door." The affordable homes will be oriented towards the back of the building, while market-rate units will have a view of the Hudson.