I don't think you've actually read that Wikipedia article. The authors of that book seem to follow slipperly-slope logic and confuse correlation and causation. The critics section contains information on studies which dispute your claim and appear to be more credible, offering more plausible explanations.
Also, screw the neighbors. Some things are more important to money, and the way this neighbourhood association is treating people who care more about their children than money is completely ridiculous.