Battle in 'burbs to keep out battlers
Melbourne Age Date: May 26 2003
Thanks for the story. However, the situation is abit diffeent in the Baltimore neighborhood where I live. This is a racially diverse and well integrated community, mostly cooperatives condominiums, and townhouses - low to moderate income. We have several housing projects - some are being closed new are being built. The community association is very active, especially in new development issues. Although I sense a fair amount of NIMBY behavior and prejudice against institutional development among the residents, these are certainly not the defining trends. Our residents have been opposing certain development proposals and supporting others. There is certainly support for "upscale" (middle-class by non-Baltimore standards) housing development - mainly for the consideration for property values, but there was also support for half-way homes for subtance abuse patinets and housing projects.
In essence, our residents tend to oppose 'ghetto-like' developments i.e. projects that are enclaves not well integrated into the community or commercial/institutional development that attract people who are otherwise not attached to the community. That may include outpatient drug treatment programs or homeless shelter but also a wealthy church or a chain retail outlet. OTOH, our residents supported development of new Hope VI project after our community association won concessions from the developers that the project will be integrated into the community, both architecturally and socially, and two drug recovery centers that are integrated into the community.
The bottom line is that people support or oppose urban development for various reasons - some more selfish and ulterior than other - and it is misleading to lump these reasons under simplistic rubrics of "gentrification" or "NIMBY." In my experience, the biggest problem is not a devlopment of one kind or another, but the lack of any development at all. In virtually every development proposal there is considerbale room for maneuver, and a well organized community can aleter the specifics and negotiate a deal that can be turned into assets to the community. An example of Safeway store construction in a community where I used live is a case in point. The community generally opposed the development, mostly on easthetic grounds, as the development was to destroy a block of art deco row homes and build a hideous cinder block box surrounded by a parking lot. Safeway compromised by ageering to erect a brick façade incorporating decorative elements from the demolished art deco houses. However, th epayoff to the community was tremendous in terms of new serivces and new development.
A far worse situation is the lack of any development - i.e. the city and the devlopers doing absolutely nothing to improve a particular community.
Wojtek