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GEOG 121 > Midterm Prep (Class 1-12) > Flashcards

Midterm Prep (Class 1-12) Flashcards

1
Q

EXAMPLE: Why geography now –> housing crisis + climate change

A

housing crisis exacerbated by extreme weather –> housing unaffordable, but also unsafe (no AC) –> regulations needed but may have unforeseen consequences + no one fix

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2
Q

human geography

A

study of people and the environment –> how they interact

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3
Q

geoscience aka earth sciences

A

study of the earth and natural stuff (?)

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4
Q

cartography and GIS

A

study of the land and mapping the world visually

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5
Q

why is geography important in today’s world

A

helps ground and explain complexity in such a dizzying world with catastrophes everyday

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6
Q

EXAMPLE: Climate change and effects on housing market

A
  • climate change is always changing what adequate housing looks like (heatwave Summer 2021 killed 600+) –> intersectional factors underpin housing crisis/are exacerbated by environmental disasters, landlords hold the power
  • if landlords refuse install of gov granted AC, families cannot fight back due to fear of eviction
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7
Q

extractivism

A

mode of accumulation based on hyper-extraction with lopsided benefits and costs

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8
Q

argument for and against extractivism

A

argument that it provides jobs + other for our wellbeing  creates deep insecurity and extreme danger (climate)  burden of pollution from extractivism often falls on indigenous (reflects racial hierarchies forged thru colonialism)

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9
Q

proximate cause

A

surface level drivers that cause something

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10
Q

structural cause

A

drivers that cause the proximate drivers (more deeply imbedded in society/systems)

everyday problems have many structural drivers which have dimensions that are historically/geographically specific

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11
Q

conspiracy theory + its attributes

A

Conspiracy theory: belief that certain events are secretly manipulated by powerful forces with negative intent

  • understand situation resulting from conspirators, draw evidence, theory falsely suggests nothing happens by accident, divide world into good and bed, scapegoat ppl and groups  flourish in hard-to-understand situations
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12
Q

conspiracy theory EXAMPLE

A

> CONSPIRACY EG: walkable cities = lockdown measure meant to keep ppl from leaving a radius of home

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13
Q

similarities and differences between conspiracies and CGA

A

Both aim to reveal powerful structures that are hidden, but CGA is less interested in identifying bad actors and more focused on history and incentives that allow bad actors to thrive, systematic evidence methods

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14
Q

Henri Lefebvre view of everyday

A

Henri Lefebvre saw the everyday as something related to a bigger picture, and that space is not given but socially produced

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15
Q

de Certeau (everyday life)

A

de Certeau  interested in the imaginative & inventive practice of everyday whilst recognizing that these cultures are submerged below a level of textual and social authority – essential to making the everyday visible, bc only after its allowed to surface can a politics of the everyday become possible

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16
Q

John Eyles (everyday life)

A

John Eyles  understanding/awareness of everyday was important for the development of a geography that was human-centered

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17
Q

settler colonialism

A

setting up Euro-Canadian soci/poli/eco/legal/cultural structures of settler homelands over new territories and the colonized –> ongoing reality/structure that is still happening, not an event

  • e.g. occupation of indigenous lands, pillage of resources, suppression of culture/ways of being/gov/economies
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18
Q

neoliberal capitalism

A

gov austerity, deregulation, incr. mkt pen, hyperdeveloped focus on individual + favour of corps. –> blame self for failures (conditions among lower class decrease = fail to enhance own value), privatization, social/economic class creation, exacerbated inequality

  • alter individual and communal subjectivity in many ways –> shallow recognition of indigenous purely in terms of participation in mainstream economy
  • produces a society that increasingly shirks its responsibilities to those perceived to be losers in an increasingly stark competition over material, social and psychic resources
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19
Q

environmental politics

A

Indigenous confined to stereotypical caricatures, obscure the totality of their diversity and depth

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20
Q

indigenous self determination

A

ability to freely determine political status + pursue eco/soci/poli/cultural development

  • UNDRIP passed this right in 2007, but the implementation of this right has been very difficult with lots of discussion
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21
Q

Differences in indigenous self determination expression

A

differences in experience with colonialism and development = diversity of responses to colonialism and contemporary capitalism

act in ways that would preserve and perpetuate their political/economic ideas

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22
Q

what constrains indigenous self determination

A

loss of indigenous ways of living, subsequent community poverty, relentless industrial development pressures, hollow relationships with settler governments = constraints around indigenous self determination

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23
Q

structure

A

social arrangements, relations, practices that exert power/constraint over our lives (eco, religion, culture,)

settler colonialism, neoliberal capitalism & environmental politics are all examples of structures

structures create conditions that tend towards some rather than other outcomes

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24
Q

agency

A

capacity to act + shape structures & conditions –> humans make policies/institutions but not under our own ideas, agency is NOT equal – some ppl have more, some have less

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25
Q

EXAMPLE: creative student accomodations

A

nano suites (bath, fold-down bed/desk, micro-kitchen), housing on top of academic buildings, converting hotels

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26
Q

Why is student housing a crisis in Vancouver & Canada

A

extent of student housing crisis in Van and Canada –> massive shortage in Canada, and students are changing neighbourhoods as families are displaced when students try and rent cheaper housing

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27
Q

Why is student housing not talked about more

A

students invisible in housing data –> hard to advocate for issue, lack of activity from priv. developers for student housing - profitable b/c willing to live with less space, rents can be adjusted upward regularly due to regular move out

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28
Q

studentfication

A

Studentfication – students look for modestly priced housing = displace lower income (100% int. stu become tenants)

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29
Q

problems with student housing

A

problems w/ stu. Housing = expensive, hard to find, far from campus too small, bad condition, rent increase, no maintenance, etc. why? = shortage (more (int) students, luxury housing (for-profit), changes in mkt bc of pandemic(less housing built during), changes in demographics(uni more accessible), changes in labour mkt(more jobs req. higher edu)

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30
Q

Should it be built for-profit or non-profit?

A

for-profit VS non-profit = priv developers should provide bc profitable VS uni + non-profit should provide b/c can break even

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31
Q

What problems do international students (in example INDIA) suffer from

A

Int. student problems = stress over housing, cannot afford housing, discrimination, scams at each stage of international applications (Indian students)  fake admission letters, higher fees to pocket, lying abt tuition amounts, etc.

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32
Q

financialization

A

Financialization = increasing dominance of financial views resulting in structural transformations of economies, firms, states, households - non-financial sectors of economy and daily life and drawn into the orbit of finance and subject to its practices  decision-making is focused around delivering higher yields + value at expense of other objectives

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33
Q

REITs

A

REITs = large companies that own large stocks of real estate to make a profit for shareholders (pool capital of many shareholders to acquire real estate  diversifies risk, eliminates need for investor to have local knwoledge)

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34
Q

PBSAs

A

PBSAs = provides housing that is too expensive, rapidly changes neighbourhoods/regions, creates studentfication

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35
Q

When was land ownership racially stratified in BC

A

Since early colonization of BC, land ownership was racially stratified  Van development industry perfected a way to discredit ppl against foreign investment

36
Q

What are cities

A

cities are concentrations of resources  transform of natural resources and req. unique ways of perceiving space and time

37
Q

pre industrial

A

Pre-industrial = theory from agriculture in Europe from 1920s (von Thunen) farm profits depending on not only soil fertility, labour + choice of crop but farm location – economics of production inherently spatial  farmers pay diff prices to use land in different ways (basic ideas of economic neoliberalism)

38
Q

industrial

A

Industrial = agricultural models updated to understand/plan the growth of modern cities for manufacturing – combined urban sociology and neoclassical elements  modern urban landscapes shaped by their ability to pay and compete for diff locations – city centre  low income  middle  high = poor ppl live on most expensive land whilst middle/wealthy trade time for space (living in larger areas that are further away) – vacancy chains = luxury housing argument (used adapted agricultural theories to make decisions that shaped growth of urban regions)

39
Q

Post-industrial

A

Post-industrial = globalization/tech are constantly reconfiguring space and time – cities diverted from manufacturing to consumption  most important economic activity = producing, buying, renovating, selling space for urban life b/c city became attractive as a place to live (luxury housing, nightlife, restaurants, etc.) vancouver’s turbocharged Von Thunen/Alonzo Muth bid rents now finance spectacles of philanthropy on the other side of the world (luxury homes sold 1:1 gifting shipping container home to poor Cambodians living in garbage dump)

40
Q

Why so many foreign investor

A

Canadian gov mkt’s Vancouver’s urban space as a driver for foreign/domestic investment  immigration programs, massive sales of urban land, deregulation, mega events (2010 Winter Olympics)

41
Q

Why is housing growing more expensive, and who is suffering

A

housing more expensive b/c of uninterrupted population growth and uneven development = highlights those who suffer from intersectionality of areas and even upper classes

42
Q

Why do all cities in the world struggle with costs, capital, and housing

A

all cities around world are struggling with costs b/c capital attached to houses can move around, but actual housing can’t

43
Q

debtscape

A

Debtscape = debt fuels the housing mkt and everyday life  266% disp. Income, mostly residential mortgages

44
Q

hedge city

A

Hedge city = real estate is primarily seen as an investment/ turn a profit rather than a provider of homes

45
Q

exploitation (tranjan)

A

exploitation = group/class of ppl appropriating an unfair share of the fruits of labour of another class  ppl need to work, and if jobs available pay little they have no choice, the wages they take home represent only a small part of the value of their work (legal and widely acceptable =/ not exploitation)

46
Q

use value of housing (qualitative)

A

use value of housing: necessity of life, participation in social/poli/eco life is impossible without (precondition for work and leisure), personal/ontological security, confirmation of agency, cultural identity, individuality, creative powers –> satisfying human need directly related to physical/material properties of housing

47
Q

exchange value of housing (quantitative)

A

value at which a commodity can be exchanged for other, characterized by abstraction from use-values)

48
Q

Argument for REITs and investment in rental housing market

A

Michael Brooks (REALPAC) argues that the private sector cannot be expected to provide public goods, and that everyone wants to maintain/grow their income  want to be seen as part of solution, not the problem ,argues rent hikes are standard practice so landlord can get return after extra cost to upgrade building  only way to keep housing in good shape also makes them unaffordable to low income  build more housing

49
Q

why is usage of housing “crisis” problematic

A

crisis suggests we need technical/supply-sided solutions and that no one is at fault  mkt itself is never the problem and this narrative only distracts from the underlying dynamic

don’t ask how things came to be, who benefits, who suffers, only focuses on smoothing out existing troubles  serves the interests of those who are comfortable with the way things are and want to avoid change (real estate industry)

50
Q

What are inherent problems with the housing market, why can’t we treat it like a regular market that reaches equilibrium (tranjan)

A

mkt problem: 1) land is a fixed resource –> desirable land is scarce 2) housing value increases over time, ppl holding housing are making money even if its empty –> landlords wait longer to fill vacancies rather than lowering rent

51
Q

What does Tranjan suggest is the solution to the housing problem

A

> SOLUTIONS: rebalance power so no exploitation can occur between social classes –> given tenants more power and restrict landlords more

52
Q

How did housing supply become so lacking

A

1940s homeownership was a sign of being patriotic –> gov made it easy to borrow/buy, didn’t consider a % of pop will never be able to own house –> not enough homes built = lose affordable housing

53
Q

What do Madden and Marcuse state is happening to neighbourhoods

A

The residential is political: (sub)urban neighbourhoods are being transformed by speculative development made in boardrooms across the world  the shape of the housing system is the outcome of struggles between different groups and classes (housing as lived social space and housing as investment for profitmaking)

54
Q

What do madden and marcuse want to do?

A

refocus debate around political-economic processes like commodification, alienation, exploitation, oppression and liberation –> what forces + actors produced the housing system (past & present)

  • the politics of housing involve a bigger set of actors and interests than is recognized by mainstream debates or conventional political-economic analyses
55
Q

What do Madden and Marcuse say about the usage of “crisis” to describe housing problem

A

For oppressed, housing has always ben in crisis –> the crisis term is used to represent experiences of middle class & investors, usage of term to condemn state interference in housing market (in USA), invoke support of granting new legal powers to developers to override local planning guidelines (in UK)

56
Q

EXAMPLE: Madden and Marcuse + how exchange value has trumped use value

A

> > EG: One57 = apartment in NY on Billionaires Road. Many empty, and those purchased are not primary residence, the building is vv empty, nearby stores cannot survive b/c no sales. It is simply a storage of wealth.

57
Q

commodification

A

commodification = general process by which the economic value of something dominates its other uses –> self reproducing process that has uneven outcomes

58
Q

What were the preconditions that allowed for the housing market to become the way it is

A

historical preconditions for commodification = 1) feudal relations = housing, land and labour were entertwined 2) the commons = dissolution of feudal relations left common uses of land 3)privatization of common land under excuse of inefficient usage (enclosure), the dispossessed migrated to cities to become labourers 4) housing disembedded from the circuits of work and production to become a direct bearer of economic value itself

59
Q

EXAMPLE: How North Vancouver came to be

A

> > EG: North Vancouver –> lording families made money from transatlantic slave trade, money was washed over the years (not unique, many financial tools, industries and services arose due to the trade of ppl as commodities)

60
Q

enclosure

A

ENCLOSURE IN VAN: large swaths of land were awarded to settlers when british colonial gov first arrived –> rendered most of the land unceded –> created capitalist property relations (precondition for development of real estate market)

61
Q

Post WW2 + 20th century conditions that lead to the current housing market

A

After WW2 housing systems had partially decommodified character (social right) but postwar expansion of housing did not take partial or total nationalization of housing system, instead relying upon massive gov investment and private financing = state-supported system dominated by private ownership

in first decades of 20th century, value of housing became clear as crucial circuits of investment that could act as an escape valve through which capital sought to manage the problem of over-accumulation

62
Q

Argument for deregulation

A

some argue that deregulation will help the market –> government is causing interference b/c if markets are left as they are, they will come to equilibrium and prices will be competitive

63
Q

argument against deregulation

A

1) removing protections just puts real estate firms in a better position 2) globalization causes a widening gulf between price signals the market responds to and the actual social need for dwelling space –> promoters of free-market solutions never consider the practical costs and consequences (globalization –> decreases community, impersonal relationship between tenant and landlord, exchanges happen in digital realms, less relationship between price of housing based on housing need and more between price of housing and investment demand –> TLDR: further disembodiment from land as use value to land as exchange value)
3) the government doesn’t actually leave the market thru deregulation

64
Q

hyper commodification

A

hyper-commodification = extreme way by which housing is dominated by real estate, all materials and legal structures of housing (buildings, land, labour, property rights) are turned into commodities  function as home is secondary

65
Q

What is Madden and Marcuse’ point about businesses using housing as investment

A

TLDR: profit seeking businesses insert themselves into the residential system and siphon off resources, making housing more expensive whilst contributing nothing to the ability of the system to meet residents needs
–> real estate and its allies in finance and insurance are no longer merely absorbing shocks from the broader economy, but increasingly calling the shots

66
Q

deregulation

A

deregulation = removal of restrictions placed on real estate as a commodity  permitted a wave of privatization of public owned housing, disproportionately destroyed the wealth of black/Latino households, state is still involved throughout the housing system (move wealth from public to private sector)

67
Q

issues with luxury housing

A

luxury housing proliferated out of proportion to actual housing need  ties to money laundering, tax evasion, other illegal stuff

luxury housing is antisocial  ppl who own them have no connection to the places they park their money & trickle down benefits are largely exaggerated = subsidies to luxury developers are glaringly inefficient

68
Q

globalization

A

globalization = real estate increasingly dominated by economic networks that are global in scope  structures are built/financed/owned/managed and occupied by those across world borders

69
Q

How do low income families survive?

A

How low income families survive: 1) protection by partial decommodification (rent control/public housing) 2) economically irrational landlord

70
Q

What is one other big problem Madden and Marcuse address about the commodification of housing system

A

PROBLEM = no exit from the commodified housing system –> no clear mechanism where failed real estate projects are reappropriated by residents as common property (buildings remain unlived and unused)

71
Q

EXAMPLE: How did usage of people as commodities shape parts of Vancouver?

A

EXAMPLE: Strathcona –> chinese ended up there b/c worked on CPA, Blacks ended up there b/c it was undesirable land (marshy)

72
Q

social class (tranjan)

A

social class = tenants and landlords

73
Q

problem with affordability being described as the issue in housing markets

A

usage of “affordability” to describe a problem conceals the profit-making –> confers an aura of blamelessness to the problem as if uncontrolled forces of nature are driving rents up

74
Q

EXAMPLE: depoliticization of poverty

A

> > EG: poverty –> Toronto council asked for input on what is causing poverty, none of the initiatives explicitly named the cause of the problem = poverty was no ones fault

75
Q

Problems with the measurements of affordability

A

measure of problems also matter  unaffordable housing = 30% of tenants total income, but ignores how much landlords profit & how little bosses pay

30% ignores long-term financial security of tenants, 20% housing below market price overlooks how housing mkts are out of sync with the economy  reinforces the idea of a technical problem with no-one to blame

76
Q

What are good measures of affordability?

A

good measure = contrast rent with inflation, rent with # hours of work needed to pay rent

77
Q

What is the Broadway plan

A

plan: 30 yr project along Broadway corridor to build 30k+ new housing through redevelop and densification (even more b/c develop have to pay tenant protect  make money back)

78
Q

What is a big problem with the evictions that happen in BC (including the Broadway area)

A

eviction methods are 85% no fault (tenant evicted for 3 reasons: 1) sell 2) redevelop 3) landlord/family member moving in) –> rent gap and delta rent incentivize landlords to evict tenants, and sometimes it is done illegally b/c landlord lies about reason –> hard for tenant to prove

79
Q

Recommendations by VTU for Broadway plan

A

1) right to return with dignity (return to comparable unit in new building at original rent), right to financial protection (must offer a comparable unit to reside in until new unit available  cost cannot exceed current rent or else developer pay difference), right to remain (temp unit must be within current neighbourhood)

2) rent control tied to unit (vacancy control + evictions no effect on rent), rental transparency (historical rent list, system that tracks all evictions), no more public subsidies of private landlords (must be given to tenants)

3) right to organize (can’t interfere in their communication), collective bargaining(landlord cannot refuse negotiating with an association representing 51% of tenants), right to strike (tenants can strike if bargaining fails)

80
Q

rent gap

A

Rent gap: explains the structural forces that contribute to the redevelopment of urban land in search of higher valuations (gentrification)  difference between median market rent and median surveyed rent

81
Q

delta rent

A

Delta rent: difference between maximum current rent of new tenant and minimum current rent in the building (new tenant rent vs old tenant rent)

82
Q

Why are the BCGEU getting involved in housing market suggestions

A

Why BCGEU getting involved: They fight hard for wage increases, but when rents increase with wages there is basically no improvement to the renter’s lives (members asked for involvement bc of growing sense of insecurity)

83
Q

Myths/issues with rents

A

Myths: no consensus exists about rent control, its hard to isolate and compare data, econometric approaches don’t capture complexities of the market, no evidence that unregulated markets are most effective, using political economic approach reveals blind spots in econometrics  no inclusion of political, social and geographical factors, filtering is contributing to housing problems (reverse filtering), assumes landlords maximize profit by improving quality of housing when they actually just minimize maintenance, small families are a vv small portion of all landlords, rent cotrol will req. significant resources and high cost to maintain (true but gains outweigh losses)

84
Q

argument for vacancy control

A

argument for vacancy control: econometric model for housing mkt = bad bc it only considers economic value, which isn’t always best to max. Current data flawed and does not reflect actual rental markets. no consensus on rent control + unregulated mkt no proof most effective

85
Q

argument against vacancy control

A

argument against: extremely difficult for landlords to continue to operate, invest, etc. + will effectively stop all new purpose-built rental construction

GEOG 121 (2 decks)

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