Jacklin Jones
Urban Society
Book Report
Fall ‘15
Black on the Block:
The Politics of Race and Class in the City
History is always changing and repeating itself. According to the Housing Act of 1954, it changed urban “redevelopment” into urban “renewal” and “conservation”. Therefore, this had shifted the focus to areas that is threatened by diseases and enlarged the constructions of the federal government to support beyond residential (Pattillo, 310). During several class discussions, we focused on urbanism within the society. The class opened with defining urban and how the form of urban itself and cities varies greatly by culture and historical periods. Apparently, urban was once considered as any area that consisted of a population …show more content…
These economic and political aspects had greatly defined social homogeny and stratification. Although this book focuses on a study about the historic rise and the renewal of Chicago’s North Kenwood–Oakland neighborhood, Pattillo firmly states that "... this book is not a study in the causes and consequences of gentrification," (Pattillo, 20). However, it is about urban renewal, public housing, and mixed-income communities where the Black community negotiate with each other, the outside players, and various layers of public decisions that frame what is preferable and what is possible …show more content…
The multifaceted class interests defines the communities like NKO, which consist of predominantly African Americans. Since gentrification is a familiar story, in which people believe that gentrification is only about improving residents’ living standards. Pattillo’s story is different because she looks at the process of gentrification within a mixed-income community while new residents deftly negotiate their stay with the formers. I enjoyed reading about how Pattillo created gentrification as being a vicious cycle of conflicting inter-class and interracial interests and not just focusing on neighborhood improvements. Although that is very important, I found it to be more enlightening to learn about how race and social status influenced urban development as Pattillo succinctly summed it as “the politics of race and class in the city.” It is uplifting to understand that the color of one’s skin is no longer a huge issue, since a new class of bourgeoisie has
Urban Society
Book Report
Fall ‘15
Black on the Block:
The Politics of Race and Class in the City
History is always changing and repeating itself. According to the Housing Act of 1954, it changed urban “redevelopment” into urban “renewal” and “conservation”. Therefore, this had shifted the focus to areas that is threatened by diseases and enlarged the constructions of the federal government to support beyond residential (Pattillo, 310). During several class discussions, we focused on urbanism within the society. The class opened with defining urban and how the form of urban itself and cities varies greatly by culture and historical periods. Apparently, urban was once considered as any area that consisted of a population …show more content…
These economic and political aspects had greatly defined social homogeny and stratification. Although this book focuses on a study about the historic rise and the renewal of Chicago’s North Kenwood–Oakland neighborhood, Pattillo firmly states that "... this book is not a study in the causes and consequences of gentrification," (Pattillo, 20). However, it is about urban renewal, public housing, and mixed-income communities where the Black community negotiate with each other, the outside players, and various layers of public decisions that frame what is preferable and what is possible …show more content…
The multifaceted class interests defines the communities like NKO, which consist of predominantly African Americans. Since gentrification is a familiar story, in which people believe that gentrification is only about improving residents’ living standards. Pattillo’s story is different because she looks at the process of gentrification within a mixed-income community while new residents deftly negotiate their stay with the formers. I enjoyed reading about how Pattillo created gentrification as being a vicious cycle of conflicting inter-class and interracial interests and not just focusing on neighborhood improvements. Although that is very important, I found it to be more enlightening to learn about how race and social status influenced urban development as Pattillo succinctly summed it as “the politics of race and class in the city.” It is uplifting to understand that the color of one’s skin is no longer a huge issue, since a new class of bourgeoisie has