In 2013 the US was still reeling from the collapse of the housing market in 2008. While hundreds of thousands of Americans unjustly lost their homes, many foreclosed on illegally, there was one upside to this collapse. For a few years at least, irresponsible sprawl development was put on hold across most the nation. I… Continue reading The Earth Isn’t Dying, It’s Being Killed by Realtors
Tag: gentrification
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez vs Amazon’s City-Destroying Machine
With the nonstop national media coverage of AOC, you’d be forgiven for forgetting she’ll actually be representing a geographically small congressional district starting January 2019 comprised mostly of Queens and the Bronx. Already the congresswoman-elect is dominating headlines of centrist and conservative publications, building massive Left-wing support while Neolibs and TradCons alike chide her for… Continue reading Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez vs Amazon’s City-Destroying Machine
AirBNB, Displacement, and Freezing the Homeless to Death
On Martin Luther King Day it was reported an infant, possibly only hours old, had died in a homeless camp near a bus stop in downtown Portland, Oregon. First responders rushed the baby to OHSU, but it was too late. Reports were inconclusive as to whether the child was in fact stillborn, or died shortly after… Continue reading AirBNB, Displacement, and Freezing the Homeless to Death
The New Gentrifier Tactic: Copy Climate Change Deniers
It seems for every critique of today’s monied urban revival there’s another paid life-style columnist arguing why gentrification should be cherished, if they even admit gentrification exists at all. “Gentrification isn’t happening, but if it was happening, it would be a good thing.“ That was the crux of a Slate article last year that prompted many… Continue reading The New Gentrifier Tactic: Copy Climate Change Deniers
The Covert Violence of Gentrification
Progressive movements are experts at policing their own behavior. Vast amounts of energy are spent reminding each other to stay peaceful and nonviolent in the face of state violence inflicted by political and economic forces. So often we sabotage our own momentum for fear of being too aggressive in our methods. We retreat and wonder what we did wrong. We… Continue reading The Covert Violence of Gentrification
Rebel Metropolis Bicycle Drunk-Cast: Round 2!
Post Superbowl, cycling comrade Meg Brennan sat down with me once again to record our second drunken bicycle pod-cast. Topics of discussion involved the diversity vs. normality of bike culture, donating to Planned Parenthood, issues of land use and gentrification, class structure, capitalism, blogging in general, Streetfilms, street art as community builder, riding a bike as… Continue reading Rebel Metropolis Bicycle Drunk-Cast: Round 2!
Urbanicide: the Murder of Cities
“We wouldn’t have any American economy without the automobile business. That’s literally true. This is a great industry that has to go on and keep turning out more cars and trucks, and there have to be places for them to run – they’ll need more roads, and in order to get that done people are… Continue reading Urbanicide: the Murder of Cities
Photographing Metropolitan Topography
“Forget the damned motor car, build the cities for lovers and friends.” ~ Lewis Mumford Similar to a piece I wrote recently highlighting the ongoing photographic documentation of bicycle culture, it seemed appropriate to also compile a collection of images detailing the various textures and surfaces of urban landscapes. So often as we traverse our… Continue reading Photographing Metropolitan Topography
Rebels, Resisters, and the Condominium Revolt
Kevin Keating walked the streets of San Francisco wheat-pasting posters urging vandalism against ‘yuppie’ infrastructure infesting the Mission district some 15 years ago. Alise Munson floated balloons 85 feet in the air to illustrate the height of a proposed 8-story condominium on N. Williams Ave. in Portland earlier this summer. While their tactics obviously differ, their target… Continue reading Rebels, Resisters, and the Condominium Revolt
The Rights of Cities
What is the Right to the City movement? Where did it come from? Where is it going? Who are the actors and organizers sculpting this new social structure? In asking these questions and studying their answers, it’s impossible to not recognize one’s own role in this current wave of civil unrest across the globe. If… Continue reading The Rights of Cities