Critical Urban Geography Flashcards
Three main components of critical geography?
Urban studies is a way to propose new concepts that help shed light on how wider social processes and relationships operate and change. Part of this involves connecting local urban phenomena to global processes.
Developing research that is socially relevant and politically engaged.
Taking seriously the experiences, lives, practices, and words of ordinary urban residents and marginalized social groups rather than exclusively those of urban elites.
What is the Chicago school? What are the issues with the Chicago School?
-Chicago school presents a modernist theory of cities as based on Darwinist struggles for urban space
- the urban environment of Chicago was very influential on urban theory
Gentrification
Describes the process by which urban neighbourhoods, usually the home of low-income residents, become the focus for reinvestment and resettlement by the upper or middle classes.
Displacement of existing residents as rents and property taxes increase
What is ‘new build’ gentrification?
The process by which neighbourhoods are destroyed and new buildings are built from scratch
What is the myth of the American dream? What harms does it cause?
Impoverished but hardworking immigrants are believed to be able to move up the socioeconomic hierarchy and move out of the inner city to bigger and better housing in the suburbs
Myths resonate with and support particular interests over others, often provide legitimacy for inaction
What is the myth of socially mixed communities?
Policy makers tend to think that socially mixed communities are healthier, safer, and more vibrant. They attract investment and economic development. That they are beneficial for low-income people (provide employment, curb crime, promote ‘better’ behaviour)
What are two big problems with social mix in some places? Give an example.
Benefits promised for low-income do not often materialize (community bonds are often destroyed)
Social cohesion fails to happen (new residents less likely to engage in neighbourhood social interaction) High income residents often use their political know how to fight against services for the poor
Across the Chicago Park District, 12/16 basketball hoops were removed, and when Black youths play in predominantly white neighbourhoods, they return to find the hoops removed.
What is the tree vs parking dilemma in Montreal?
There were no street trees and a few professors as well as a city councillor. We got some trees in ‘bump-outs’, but some local residents were angry about parking spots being taken away, and some need cars to get to work
Explain the green alley versus the motorcycle parking area
Social mixing and residents’ ability to make decisions over the use of space can be valuable but cause conflicts
Younger, more educated residents wanted to take advantage of Montreal’s Green Alley
Older immigrant neighbours were against it and preffered the alley to be empty so they can wash their cars
What is ‘right to the city’? What does it focus on?
Coined by Henri Lefebvre in 1968 and has become a central concept in contemporary urban activism and urban geography scholarship
Focuses on the role of ordinary people in opposing the erosion of urban public realm. Shaping urban space in a more democratic and socially inclusive fashion than was possible under modernist visions of citizenship and participation
When was the first time ‘right to the city’ was mentioned?
2016, in the agenda resulting from habitat III
What is an example of right to the city in MOntreal?
La Cite plan for the milton-parc area in the 1970s
Five towers were built, then the developers abandoned phases 2 and 3 of the project
Neoliberalism
a set of economic policies and an ideology, that assume the competitive free market is the most efficent way of organizing the econcomy and society.
ex) in cities, a common example is the outsourcing of state activities to the private sector (power, water, cityparks)
What is liberalism?
The abolition of government intervention in economy, no barriers of commerce, free trade, free markets, etc.
Advocated for by Adam Smith
What do critics have issues with in neoliberalism?
Believe neoliberal polices exacerbate economic liberalism.
How was economic liberalism challenged? When was it challenged?
In the great depression, John M. Keynes challenged liberalism as the best policy for capitalists. He argued:
- full employment is necessary for capitalism to grow
-state intervention is necessary, government help advance the common good
This influenced President Roosevelt’s New Deal
What are the 5 main points of neoliberalism?
1) Rule of the market
2) Cutting Public expenditure for social services
3) Deregulation
4) privitization
5) eliminating concept of public good
What is rule of the market?
Liberating private enterprise from any restrictions imposed by government, greater openness to international trade, unregulated market, “trickle-down economics”
What is the point of cutting public funding for social services?
They say: to reduce the government’s role.
What happens: reduced saftey net for poor, reduced maintenance of roads, cuts to education and healthcare
What does deregulation entail?
Reduce government regulation of everything that can diminish profits (environmental concerns, safety on the job, etc.)
What does privitization look like? What does this cause?
selling off state owned enterprises and services to private investors
RESULT: concentrated wealth in a few hands, public must pay more for its needs
Why do they want to eliminate ‘public good’?
Want to replace with individual responsibility
Greater pressure on the poorest in society to find solutions for their lack of health care, education, and social security on their own
Who is spreading Neo-liberalism?
IMF, World Bank, UN, Inter-American Development Bank, Oprah?!
What are some examples of urban impacts of neoliberalism?
Bangladesh:
IMF is lending Bangladesh 10 billion to build highways and flyovers, when only 1% of the population drives
Indonesia:
the number of public parks in Jakarta has decreased by 100, all sold to developers
Selling water rather than public service
India:
Many public parks are charging admission
