Assignment 23: Annotated Bib 3

For this assignment, I wrote my third annotated bibliography. Click here for a properly formatted version on Google Drive.

Howell, K. L. (2016). Planning for empowerment: Upending the traditional approach to planning for affordable housing in the face of gentrification. Planning Theory & Practice, 17(2), 210-226. doi:10.1080/14649357.2016.1156729

Howell’s article explores the correlation between gentrification and representation in local government, particularly residents in Washington, DC’s poorer areas. The article explains several legislative measures that were put in place, such as the Tenant opportunity to Purchase Act (ToPA) in 1980, and how legislators have managed to evolve their policies over time to meet local demand. Another program, CNHED, allows members to “receive city council funds to develop affordable housing, administer programs, organize tenants, provide wrap-around services to extremely low-income households, and provide job training and housing counseling,” important resources that residents can use to break the cycle of poverty and avoid gentrification-driven confrontation (Howell 215-216). I can use this source in my research as it is a very thorough case study about local government driven gentrification. Within the context of Washington DC, Howell also explores the neighborhood of Columbia Heights, which “In 2010, almost 19% of households earned more than $100,000, compared to less than 6% in 2000” (Howell 217). Additionally, Howell discusses the power of group and public advocacy, pro-bono attorneys, and making connections between tenants and the government as the driving forces against gentrification in a city like Washington, DC. Howell is a reputable expert in the field of planning, as she is an urban and regional planning professor at Virginia Commonwealth University and holds a PhD in the field. She cites a significant number of interviews in her bibliography, mostly people and agencies directly involved in the happenings of her case study. This article is a good source to site as part of my research because it shows how modern legislation has a direct impact on gentrification-prone communities. Ultimately, the article represents just one small example in the entire country, but the progress made in Washington, DC  is enough to be feasible on a nationwide scale.

Assignment 20: Capstone Updates

For this assignment, I'm just giving a quick update on my capstone project. Currently, I have been watching many videos about urban planning and future issues like gentrification and walkability. Additionally, I have been talking with people at my mentorship and brainstorming ideas for good presentation visuals or props or interactive exhibits. Finally, I plan on reaching out to one of the professors at a local university (GA Tech) to ask her about her research in city planning, as well as talk about my essential question. I am still unsure of how I will use the information she may provide me with; maybe I can create a video interview or a presentation that integrates her knowledge. My biggest priority at the moment is just making sure that I have thoroughly researched and provided enough information to accurately answer my essential question.

Yasamin 2/10

Assignment 19: Annotated Bibliography 2

For this assignment, I turned the graphic organizer from my last post into a formatted annotated bibliography. Because Blogger does not allow me to format it exactly how I need it, click here to access a Google Doc where the format is correct.

Kunstler, J. H. (1993). The geography of nowhere: The rise and decline of America's man-made landscape. New York: Simon & Schuster.

This book gives relatively detailed accounts of the history of the American landscape. Each chapter is structured like a case study for a single topic. It emphasizes that “the two elements of the suburban pattern that cause the greatest problems are the extreme separation of uses and the vast distances between things” (Kunstler 117). Mostly, the work focuses on the effect of suburban sprawl on the American landscape, and the negative repercussions that the population has faced since the end of World War 2, especially the production of “two separate classes of citizens: those who can fully use their everyday environment, and those who cannot” (Kunstler 115) . While this is not a scientific article or journal, the book is still highly credible, as pages 277-284 include detailed footnotes and a bibliography of a wide number of sources. Additionally, the author, James Howard Kunstler, has a reputation as an American journalist, writing for the Rolling Stone and New York Times, as well as a blogger. I can use this book as it provides personal testimony to the effects of suburban sprawl, and the necessity of redevelopment in the American landscape. It is well researched, so even if I do not cite it directly, I have the bibliography at the end at my disposal to retrieve even more sources on planning. It can also be used as a comparison of what planning focused on 25 years ago and what it is doing today. They are both very similar, as the novel emphasizes the need for walkable communities and the introduction of a mix of uses to revitalize the then dying American landscape.

Yasamin, 2/3