The overall argument of Robert O. Self’s Introduction, in the book “American Babylon,” are the different aspects of postwar Oakland and the East Bay, socially, economically, and politically. There are three key claims Self makes in the Introduction. First, Self claims there were two controversial political ideologies in postwar Oakland, one being black power, including politics of deference and empowerment, and second a neo-populist, conservative homeowner politics of white residents. Another claim Self makes is the idea that the postwar black struggle and politics of suburban building shaped the political culture in Oakland and the East Bay. The third key claim Self makes is the modernization of space; space as property, as a social imagination, and as a political scale.
Evicted is a book that tells of America’s very real problem of poverty. Matthew Desmond gives readers a detailed image of the lives of eight people who are struggling to live in some of the poorest of neighborhoods in Milwaukee. The characters in this book speak for themselves and we get to witness firsthand their attempt to rise above poverty and fight against a system that profits off of them being poor. The characters struggle to afford places that many would consider uninhabitable. Eventually, they get evicted when they succumb to multiple problems that are a factor of their surroundings.
The idea of equality for all people, regardless of their race, is instilled in the American society of today. Unfortunately, this idea has not always been present, which ultimately has caused many issues for America’s society in the past. As discussed in the book Our Town: Race, Housing, and the Soul of Suburbia, David L. Kirp focuses on the inequality that was found between the low-income blacks and the middle class whites in a South Jersey town, Mount Laurel. At the time, the whites had a goal of running the blacks out of the town by making the costs of housing expensive enough where blacks could not afford it. This lead to unequal treatment for the blacks who lived in Mount Laurel compared to the whites when it came to housing opportunities.
By the 1980’s, Atlanta was rapidly expanding past the point of containment, and quickly exploded with a mass immigration of penniless merchants. It wasn’t until 1993, with the construction of Georgia 400 was Atlanta alleviated from this rapid migration into the city (Huff). Georgia 400 offered the citizens of Atlanta, primarily those who could afford the new BMW 325i convertible, an escape from all the caged madness that was offered by overpopulation such as longer wait times at The Varsity or an extended five minutes to their trips to The Fox Theatre. In time, many of the Bentley owners migrated away from the crowding city and took their precious tax dollars away to invest into other counties. West Forsyth High School and the other schools in Forsyth now began to provide students with a library and could build a football field.
There has to be a realistic solution that can be put into motion to benefit everyone involved. Referring again to his article “Is Gentrification All Bad?” Davidson argues that urban renewal, if done right, is not a monstrous custom that it is painted to be; nevertheless, he reasons that gentrification depends on who does it, how they do it, and why they do it. As a resident in New York, a city where gentrification is as widespread as the common cold in winter, Davidson speculates that those who go into a neighborhood with the intention to renovate houses, or abandoned buildings ought to have a good reason for it. The author points out that “Gentrification does not have to be something that one group inflicts on another…” (Davidson 349), rather, he suggests that everyone, the gentrifiers and the locals, be on the same page when it comes to developing their
Although this effort is ultimately unsuccessful, it points to Hunters view that an act of agency need not be successful to count as a meaningful way of engagement and of shaping the evolution of the city. In fact, this view corroborates and gives credence to his assertion that the truly disadvantaged (whose efforts may therefore not always be successful), can still be seen as citymakers (p.214). He goes on to write about housing reform efforts in the 1930s that lead to a lot of migration out of the neighborhood, a long and successful effort to stop the construction of a highway that would split a neighborhood as well as the successful election of W. Wilson Goode in 1983 as the first black Mayor of the region (p. 185). Throughout the book, Hunter provides examples of intra-political and intra-racial politics, which serve to remind us that history is not always so straightforward.
Isaac Shaw October 9, 2014 Hist 2020 Dr. Paulauskas Paper #1 In the 1890’s, America was starting to experience changes leading to new revelations in the way it functioned in mass communication, mass transportation, and urbanization. In Erik Larson’s The Devil in the White City, he brings the seemingly different stories of two men in this time period, one a mass murder, H.H. Holmes and, the other a grand architect, Daniel Burnham to explain how America was changing into a more modern era. First, both Burnham and Holmes used the popularity of urbanization to achieve their individual goals.
There are few cities in Maryland who have experienced the rapid growth that the city of Crofton has. From its humble beginnings as a refuge for European settlers in the 1660’s, Crofton has developed into a prominent city with sprawling business centers and a wide array of picture perfect American suburbia. Crofton’s growth is attributed to its reputation as an economically secure and fruitful area to live. Consequently, Crofton’s economic prosperity comes as a result of its location in the heart of Maryland, and its proximity to nearby metropolis’ allow for convenience for jobs. As a result, many people view Crofton as an ideal location to live and raise a family, resulting in a rise in population.
Anderson begins the section by explaining that there are two separate cultures in inner-city neighborhoods. The first are the “decent” this group is defined by commitment to “middle-class values,” (101). However, they are not mainstream in that they
Neighborhoods want to be prosperous and not discriminated against in America. 12. “Sundown Towns” has written by Dr. James W. Loewen and was about the explosive story of radical exclusion
Yet severe inequality remained the most visible feature of the urban landscape, and persistent labor strife raised a new question of the urban landscape, combating social inequality.” (“Give me Liberty” Pg.
The expansions of bedroom-communities also materialized to accommodate the large volume of new Americans that was being produced. After the World War II numerous individuals purchased land on the outskirts of urban-cities and use the advancement of technology to create inexpensive houses that was attractive to the baby-boomers. To further accommodate the audience the G.I. Bill of the returning soldiers & their families made housing in the suburbs even cheaper. In a way it was a win-win for man and country. It wasn’t all peaches & roses in the late 1950s for minorities.
However, many American citizens were too selfish and did not consider the well-being of others. In their minds, it was “them versus us.” Urban cities represent human narrow-mindedness and ruthlessness, which may never change unless drastic measures are
FREDERICK LAW OLMSTED AND CAMILLO SITTE: NOT AS DIFFERENT AS THEY FIRST APPEAR Harkening from different sides of the Atlantic, two influential urban planners worked to transform the blossoming urban environment of the nineteenth century, albeit with very different approaches. This essay will be looking at the ideals and some of the work of Frederick Law Olmsted and Camillo Sitte. Born within just over twenty years of one and other, Olmsted in Hartford, Connecticut, and Sitte in Vienna, both men had careers encompassing fields well beyond urban planning. Not a planner by training, Olmsted delved into the world of planning when he and Calvert Vaux won the design competition for New York’s Central Park in 1858.
Is there predictability? Is there an opportunity for Procedural Due Process? And most importantly do policies involved with gentrification maximize societal benefits? .... As stated in their code of ethics the APA [American Planning Association] aspires to be responsible and worthy of the trust of the public, clients, employers, profession, and colleagues.... [A]s we move on and consider the negative effects of gentrification it will rapidly become apparent that there are multiple violations of the APA’s code which lead directly into ethical dilemmas which are currently not being addressed....
