Assignment
QUESTION 1
Jane Jacobs' book The Death and Life of Great American Cities was an attack on city planning. It came at a time when cities across the country were feeling the negative impact of "slum clearance," replacing older communities with new housing towers. This led to a lot of displacement, upsetting tight knit communities. Jacobs was a large critic of these changes because they upset urban diversity.
1. For a city to be truly vital, Jacobs suggests it needs to be diverse. What criteria (see ch. 7) did Jacobs suggest is needed to create urban diversity? Be able to explain why these criteria are important.
QUESTION 2
Sharon Zukin suggests that a lack of social diversity in urban neighborhoods kills the authenticity of a city and denies it a soul. She blames much of this on the cycle of displacement that accompanies gentrification.
1. What is the cycle of displacement as laid out by Zukin? This should include a description of the change from "authentic" working class neighborhoods, to transitional communities, to high-income communities. What are some of the signs that show these different phases are occurring according to Zukin?
QUESTION 3
In our readings by Setha Low, we looked at many different ways divisions, metaphorical and real, shape urban environments. Many of the examples we considered focused on housing: gated communities in upscale neighborhoods, economic and spatial boundaries between poor immigrants and housed citizens, and so on.
1. Describe some of the psychological topics Low applies to her research into how these divisions, particularly in gated communities, can encourage the fear of others. Choose two of the following terms-social splitting, purified living, or racialization. First, define the terms then describe how they might apply to the psychology of someone living in a largely homogenous, gated community. You should use one example from the text to support your point.
QUESTION 4
In Naomi Klein's article she talks about the way urban "shock" is used as an opportunity for transforming cities in certain ways that she believes is problematic.
1. What does she mean by "shock" and how does it relate to the concept of "disaster capitalism" or the "disaster industry" (define what disaster capitalism means)? Be sure to explain what she thinks is problematic about disaster capitalism for our cities using an example from the reading.
QUESTION 5
This is a comparison question that asks you to find points of overlap in the ideas laid out by some of the urban thinkers we discussed this summer.
1. What are some parallels between the urban theories of Mike Davis, Sharon Zukin,and Naomi Klein? Identify and explain: 1) where you think their views of certain aspects of urban developmentoverlap 2) how that particular approach to urban development might impact the urban experience for different groups of people. Be sure to include an example from each text.