By Dick Platkin WIMBY stands for “Wall Street in My Backyard.” In Los Angeles, journalist Jill Stewart and former Los Angeles County Supervisor and City Councilmember, Zev Yaroslavsky have popularized this term. In a word, WIMBYs are the dedicated foot soldiers of the real estate sector. They not only repeat its talking points, but also wrap them in a thin veneer of … [Read more...] about WHAT ARE WIMBYs? WHO DO THEY REPRESENT AND WHY ARE THEY IN THE CROSSHAIRS?
REVIEW OF “CITY POEMS & AMERICAN URBAN CRISIS: 1945 TO THE PRESENT” BY NATE MICKELSON
By Maya Amichai Nate Mickelson’s book “City Poems & American Urban Crisis” (Bloomsbury Academic, 2019) is based on the author’s PhD dissertation at the City University of New York. It is a refreshing text which uses poetry about the city as an entry point to engage the imagination in understanding cities and also imagining what they could be. It highlights the … [Read more...] about REVIEW OF “CITY POEMS & AMERICAN URBAN CRISIS: 1945 TO THE PRESENT” BY NATE MICKELSON
THE ‘FIGHT FOR $15’ IN MONTRÉAL, QUÉBEC AND THE EMERGENCE OF A NEW KIND OF LABOUR MOVEMENT
By Mostafa Henaway Across cities in North America and here in Montréal, Québec, a new type of labour movement has begun to emerge. That movement is the ‘fight for $15’ and it has won victories across states such as California, New York, Seattle, all the way to Ontario in Canada, owing to grassroots organizing. The movement began on November 2012 when fast food workers, … [Read more...] about THE ‘FIGHT FOR $15’ IN MONTRÉAL, QUÉBEC AND THE EMERGENCE OF A NEW KIND OF LABOUR MOVEMENT
FOUR EVICTION TACTICS USED BY RIO AUTHORITIES, AND HOW FAVELA RESIDENTS HAVE FOUGHT BACK
By Anna Jönsson As of 2015, the City of Rio’s own data showed that 22,059 families (an estimated 77,000 individuals) across the city had been evicted from their homes since 2009, whether in the name of environmental protection, moving people out of ‘areas of risk,’ urban upgrades and transportation infrastructure, or mega-event construction. Although exact figures are hard … [Read more...] about FOUR EVICTION TACTICS USED BY RIO AUTHORITIES, AND HOW FAVELA RESIDENTS HAVE FOUGHT BACK
TRANSFORMATIVE PLANNING FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, Part Two: Professional Education and Transformative Community Development
By Marie Kennedy [In part one of this article, the meaning of transformative community planning for community development was explored, highlighting the importance of vesting decision-making in the people most affected by the problems being addressed. In brief, it is participatory planning that empowers the community to act in its own interests.] INTRODUCTION How we … [Read more...] about TRANSFORMATIVE PLANNING FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, Part Two: Professional Education and Transformative Community Development