urban renewal

• what is a slum?

o Income level

o Crime rates

o Physical structure of neighborhood

Outcome of urban renewal

• People who were displaced cannot come back (cannot afford)

• City can either:

o Make upgrades

o Turn over to private companies

American Housing act: 1949

• Federal funds for slum clearance program

• Fed money to build public housing

• Funded research into housing/ housing techniques

Gentrification

• Influx of wealthier individuals into cities/ neighborhoods

• Replace working class residents

• Classis gentrification

o Individual

o "sweat equity"

o fix up home themselves

o own labor- catches on for others

• Commercial gentrification

o Small business

o "gets ball rolling"

o attracts ppl to neighborhood

• government led gentrification

o city buys property

• New build gentrification

o Strip malls, new condos

o Corp builds new neighborhood

o Former warehouse areas

o Has outward effect

Where does it happen?

• High rate of renters

• Ease of access to job centers

• High/ increased levels of metropolitan congestion

• High architectural value

• Comparatively low housing values

Indicators of happening:

• Rental changes to ownership

• Individualized interest in urban culture

o Bars, restaurants, stores not far away

• Incline in business for high income people

Models of Urban Change

production, consumption

production 1

land values decline from central city outward

production 2

people move toward suburbs, disinvestment in inner-city

production 3

"rent gap" forms between rent on the ground, and potential rent for buildings at their highest and best value

production`4

mortgage lenders and developers begin to reinvest in inner city

production 5

people follow capital back to the city

consumption 1

transformation of labor force

consumption 2

"neo-bohemians" move into neighborhoods

a. value the characteristics

b. has affordable housing

consumption 4

neighborhoods begin to transform to meet the preferences of wealthier residents

consumption 5

neighborhood appeals to traditional middle-class sensibilities, pricing out low-income residents and bohemians

consumption 3

creative class follows bohemian group who have moved into traditionally ethnic, lower income communities

who is the creative class?

• Neo-bohemians

• Super creative core: create products

• Create professionals (knowledge workers)

• Artists, writers, intellectuals

• Desire unconventional way of life

• Computer programming & engineering

o Creative processes- innovative

• More independence, different from traditional workplace, flexible hours

3 Ts that attract new middle class residents:

• talent

o skilled, educated in creative fields

• tolerance

o "gay index"

o low barriers to entry

• technology

o fuels entrepreneur culture

• 3 ts make up creative city index

urban renewal

• gov deems place slums

• transforms neighborhood to look nicer

• causes displacement

• demolition of buildings

• business close

• legal instrument to take property

• "federal housing program

o goal to replace neighborhoods with planned communities

o caused displacement

o government turned to private construction/ real estate

o made neighborhood better for "people like them