One thing that has surprised me after reading the Detroit sections of “How to Kill a City” is just how quickly gentrification occurs. Yes, it is often built on years of systemically-racist laws and regulations, and yes, it consists of constant development pushing and pulling for city “improvements,” changing a neighborhood piece by piece. But …
Assalamu Alaikum (peace be unto you) everyone, One thing that struck me while reading How to Kill a City was the astonishing power of a few wealthy individuals to transform and take control of an entire city completely. It was truly alarming to discover how influential these affluent individuals are in Detroit, being able to …
P.E. Moskowitz’s How to Kill a City recounts Detroit’s changes over time. It explains the policies and movements that led to the red-lining of urban neighborhoods, encouraged suburbia, emptied and economically destroyed cities, and initiated the process of “revitalization” that commonly signifies gentrification. Moskowitz is relatively brief in explaining these various stages in urban history, …
Something that was most surprising about “How to Kill a City” was how much and how well the book redefined gentrification for me. Before reading the book, whenever I thought about the term, I would think about the growth and development in the gentrified areas. The focus always seems to be on the new technology, …
After reading How to Kill a City, I gained a bit more insight into the complexities of gentrification. Before reading this work, I had a base-level understanding of gentrification regarding its effect on black and brown neighborhoods. The displacement that original community residents experience after an influx of white property renters/buyers is a result of …
To say I have a lot of thoughts about Detroit’s recent development, based on our readings, would be an understatement. If you’ll indulge me, I’d like to take this time to provide some of those thoughts for public judgement and hope you find my word vomit endearing. I can’t say anything particularly surprised me about …
Hey everyone! This week, I’ve been reading How to Kill a City by P.E. Moskowitz. If I’m being completely honest, I wasn’t sure if I would like reading the book but I ended up enjoying it and wanted to learn more. The book was quite informative on the systemic racism that’s caused by the gentrification …
Hi everyone! Reading P. E. Moskowitz’s How to Kill a City has given me a lot to think about these past few weeks. First, How to Kill a City caused me to consider wealth and racial inequality in a different light in order to understand the root causes of gentrification. Rather than gentrification being the …
Hi all! This week has been rather exciting for me: I’ve gotten to help log footage for the DREAM Storytelling Documentary and help choose clips for their latest work sample. I’ve been working directly with my site supervisor, Dr. Perkins, at her house all this week and will be next week as well. I’ve learned …
Reading How to Kill A City has been very valuable, helping to provide historical context for Detroit, an in-depth exploration of gentrification, and the legacies of corporations and billionaire’s actions that persist in Detroit even now. What has stood out to me is the intersection of government policies, private corporations, and individual developers who have …
