Community as Developer

Susan Fainstein argues in Planning the Just City that often neighborhoods do not have the political voice they need to ensure equality and democracy. That often the decisions made by city officials position one advantaged group in a way to gain the most profit or best economic opportunity. Others are left excluded sometimes giving up the most in regards to land, accessibility, and quality of life. I enjoyed reading her analysis as to why this may occur from a philosophical point of view. One idea that caught my attention was when she discusses Rawl’s argument for a “property-owning democracy” (I,e., widely distributed ownership of productive assests).  Fainstein supports him by saying:

“There needs to be an argument based on collective good—social rationality—rather than simply individual rationality, even though it need not be a strictly utilitarian one. And, in practical terms, it must be backed by the force of a social movement, a political party, or a supportive élite.”

I wanted to find an example of this idea to make it more tangible, and I think a good solution may be where the community acts as a developer. I came across this proposition from the Beautiful Solutions website shared by our studio professors earlier this semester. A community as a developer would carry out functions of a developer but instead of maximizing profit as their goal, they would have a goal of “…meeting common needs in a sustainable fashion and keep wealth circulating within the community.”  As I delved further into this website, I came across 596 Acres whose mission is to help neighbors identify fenced-in vacant lots and turn them into spaces that will be useful to their community.

These spaces may become gardens, farms, or play areas.  The organization began in NYC and is now beginning new projects in Philadelphia, New Orleans, and Los Angeles.  Fainstein’s article highlight’s why our cities need organizations like 596 Acres. They show, in Fainstein’s words, that ‘gains can be had from a collective enterprise’ and cities should support opportunities for organizations like these to create more diverse, just, and equitable places to live.