Self-identified political junkie
David Harvey's essay "Right to the City" is a political call to action. I'm a sort of political junkie- ever since the election of Trump, I read the New York Times and Washington Post fervently and watch CNN all night while I do my homework... what a life! I, like Harvey, believe there is a strong connection between the built environment and the economic and political one. My B.A. is in economics so this essay was right up my alley...
Harvey demonstrates how the capitalist process has basically sold the right to the city to those with the deepest pockets around the world. We think of this occurring in places like New York and Paris, but it happening in less-desirable cities all over America. Cities are becoming squeaky clean amusement parks for the rich, with service industry workers close by (but not too close) who are transported into the city everyday. They are fun to experience but something feels not-quite-right.
The city used to be a place for all classes and races, where ideas and political movements were born. Today, the American city is a place where "pacification by cappuccino" happens with every Starbucks visit and people are anesthetized by their own blind consumerism (yes, even me). There are really very few rich people, the rest of us are given access to enough consumer goods to feel rich and satisfied while we hand over our right to the city (and many other rights) to those who don't have our best interest at heart. However, normal people do have a lot of power but it is not concentrated or easily mobilized, as David Harvey suggests, and Instagram, Starbucks and tracking Amazon purchases are so much more interesting that politics right?
Harvey demonstrates how the capitalist process has basically sold the right to the city to those with the deepest pockets around the world. We think of this occurring in places like New York and Paris, but it happening in less-desirable cities all over America. Cities are becoming squeaky clean amusement parks for the rich, with service industry workers close by (but not too close) who are transported into the city everyday. They are fun to experience but something feels not-quite-right.
The city used to be a place for all classes and races, where ideas and political movements were born. Today, the American city is a place where "pacification by cappuccino" happens with every Starbucks visit and people are anesthetized by their own blind consumerism (yes, even me). There are really very few rich people, the rest of us are given access to enough consumer goods to feel rich and satisfied while we hand over our right to the city (and many other rights) to those who don't have our best interest at heart. However, normal people do have a lot of power but it is not concentrated or easily mobilized, as David Harvey suggests, and Instagram, Starbucks and tracking Amazon purchases are so much more interesting that politics right?
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