From: "cwright" <cwright-AT-21stcentury.net>
Subject: Re: (Fwd) Re: AUT: a new thread
Date: Thu, 21 Mar 2002 00:32:41 -0600


Doh.  Sorry.

Gentrification:  the process by which poorer working class neighborhoods are
targeted by real estate companies, developers, and the city for 'upgrading'.
This generally involves the intentional deterioration of a community to
drive down property values, agencies/companies/developers buying up
properties that are devalued, then, after driving the tenants out,
renovating the property, often making it condominiums, but always too
expensive for most working class people, etc.  When this happens on a large
scale transforming a neighborhood, usually in conjunction with renovating
property tax incentives to such neighborhoods in favor of developers (big
tax breaks, called tax incentives for 'improving a neighborhood'), building
or renovating schools, plus incentives to companies with fancier stores
(Starbucks in the signal that the neighborhood is beyond defense, usually,
but also a Block Buster with lots of European foreign films, a Super
Dominicks or Super Jewels grocery store or, even worse, a Whole Foods, etc.)

The counter to this process is not, btw, the struggle against
gentrification, since most working class people who stay for a while really
like having all the nice, new places, the lower crime, the higher property
values if they own a home, etc, (as well as the destruction of slum housing
and projects), but to demand that 'upgrading' is made affordable for
everyone.  Also, new construction on 'yuppie' housing is notoriously ugly
and often really shoddy construction, in spite of exhorbitant price tags.

Hope this helps.

Chris

----- Original Message -----
From: "Laura Fiocco" <fiocco-AT-unical.it>
To: <aut-op-sy-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu>
Sent: Thursday, March 21, 2002 12:32 AM
Subject: Re: (Fwd) Re: AUT: a new thread


>
> Chris, what is gentrification?
> thanks
> laura
>
>
>
>
> At 22.37 20/03/2002 -0600, you wrote:
> >Hey Nate,
> >>
> >> Actually, I'm told that Mayor Daley (for non-Chicagoans, Daley is our
> >> despotic Mayor, the most powerful local politician in the country and
> >> outspoken advocate of public-private partnerships, 're-development and
> >urban
> >> renewal') has instituted a few industrial preservation cooridors in
which
> >> condominiums and other 'development' is kept out, since gentrification
> >leads
> >> to erosion of industry and conflict between yuppies and neighboring
> >> factories as well as residents who work in the factories. As Daley's
power
> >> is dependent in part on some powerful trade unions and certain sectors
of
> >> the (I think mostly white) industrial working class affiliated with the
> >> Democratic party, further erosion of industry not only would make the
city
> >> economy more unstable but would jeopardize the Mayor's iron grip. Thus,
a
> >> class deal is made, so certain areas keep at least mildly industrial
(like
> >> Pilsen, with some of the worst air pollution in the country) and
> >> gentrification proceeds ravenously in other areas (like the sites of
much
> >of
> >> public housing and the south loop)
> >>
> >Actually, I think that concessions to industrial capital in Chicago may
> >involve conflicts with the yuppie mass voter base.  I don't think that
Daley
> >is as dependent on the unions as his father was, especially since
unionism
> >in Chicago is way weaker than it was 25 years ago and the unionized
> >industrial working class barely exists in Chicago anymore.  Let me give
an
> >example:  the largest factory, where many of the unions were, left in
> >Chicago is a candy factory on the West Side owned by Brach's Candies,
with
> >less than 2,000 people.  Now, the Teamsters, the airline and
> >airline-involved unions (International Association of Machinists, Pilots
and
> >Flight Attendants unions), the Chicago Teachers' Union, AFSCME and the
> >building trades all carry some weight with Daley, but less so than
before.
> >
> >In fact, Daley has clearly opened the city to the yuppies and petty
> >bourgeois returning from the suburbs at the expense of working class
groups
> >or in concert with more 'professional' workers in service type jobs who
> >actually want a kind of gentrification (the CTU and some AFSCME locals
come
> >to mind), but the percentage of unionized voters has dropped drastically
and
> >so look at Daley's coalition.  But whatever the case, Daley is not
working
> >to save large-scale unionized industrial workplaces.  The biggest unions
in
> >Chicago are not industrial, but craft or service.  A lot of the
industrial
> >workplaces being retained are non-union, also, which is no small matter.
> >
> >Just my take.
> >
> >Cheers,
> >Chris
> >
> >
> >
> >     --- from list aut-op-sy-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
> >
>
>
>      --- from list aut-op-sy-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
>



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