Two of the most celebrated black neighborhoods in the United States - Harlem in New York City and Bronzeville in Chicago - were once plagued by crime, drugs, and abject poverty. But now both have transformed into increasingly trendy and desirable neighborhoods, with old buildings being rehabbed, new luxury condos being built, and banks opening branches in areas that were once redlined. In "The New Urban Renewal", Derek S. Hyra offers an illuminating exploration of the complicated web of factors - local, national, and global - driving the remarkable revitalization of these two iconic black communities.How did these formerly notorious ghettos become dotted with expensive restaurants, health spas, and chic boutiques? And, given that urban renewal in the past often meant displacing African Americans, how have both neighborhoods remained black enclaves? Hyra combines his personal experiences as a resident of both communities with deft historical analysis to investigate who has won and who has lost in the new urban renewal. He discovers that today's redevelopment affects African Americans differentially: the middle class benefits while lower-income residents are priced out. Federal policies affecting this process also come under scrutiny, and Hyra breaks new ground with his penetrating investigation into the ways that economic globalization interacts with local political forces to massively reshape metropolitan areas.As public housing is torn down and money floods back into cities across the United States, countless neighborhoods are being monumentally altered. "The New Urban Renewal" is a compelling study of the shifting dynamics of class and race at work in the contemporary urban landscape.
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"This crisply written elucidation of the forces behind the revitalization of Bronzeville and Harlem is an original and important addition to our understanding of urban politics and black-led gentrification. In particular, Hyra's detailed analysis of the contrasting political styles of Chicago and New York City is unique and insightful. A pleasure to read." - Lance Freeman, author of There Goes the Hood: Views of Gentrification from the Ground Up"
About the Author
Derek S. Hyra is a community development expert in the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency in the U.S. Treasury Department. He teaches urban sociology at George Washington University.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Systems Thinking Applied to Gentrification
14 Jan 2009
By Abram Kielsmeier-Jones
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
This book is a great comparative study between two economically gentrifying communities: Harlem (New York) and Bronzeville (Chicago). Hyra takes a "systems thinking" approach (though he does not call it that) to see how global and national forces interact with municipal political structures, which interact with community organizational structures, which all work together to affect local conditions. These are the lenses through which he views gentrification in those two communities.
He also notes that while Bronzeville and Harlem are gentrifying economically, their racial composition is not changing--they both remain primarily African American neighborhoods. He analyzes intraracial, cross-class conflict.
Hyra's interest is in displaced non-home-owning residents of each community. He keeps this population in mind throughout the book and makes recommendations at the end for how to minimize resident displacement in gentrifying communities.
The 4 stars (instead of 5) are only because the writing needs an editor (it's not very concise; typographical errors and run-on sentences are surprisingly common for a University of Chicago Press Book). But this can be overlooked--the concepts in this book are well worth understanding and exploring.
He also notes that while Bronzeville and Harlem are gentrifying economically, their racial composition is not changing--they both remain primarily African American neighborhoods. He analyzes intraracial, cross-class conflict.
Hyra's interest is in displaced non-home-owning residents of each community. He keeps this population in mind throughout the book and makes recommendations at the end for how to minimize resident displacement in gentrifying communities.
The 4 stars (instead of 5) are only because the writing needs an editor (it's not very concise; typographical errors and run-on sentences are surprisingly common for a University of Chicago Press Book). But this can be overlooked--the concepts in this book are well worth understanding and exploring.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A honest and truthfull reference book
14 Mar 2009
By Ms. Dorothy
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
This book talks about how funds were mis appropriated and redirected from it's intended target "the poor".
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