politics
-
Recent Posts
Archives
Categories
Category Archives: politics
Foreclosures by race: Black Exodus
I got some interest in the map and analysis in the previous post, and upon request I have proceeded to overlay race data with foreclosure data. It should not surprise anyone that the news is grim. But better than a … Continue reading
Posted in planning, politics
2 Comments
Foreclosures in Oakland
On Sunday, March 25, one of the Occupy activists asked whether it would be possible to map out foreclosure hotspots in Oakland. The maps below are preliminary results of my findings. I got public data from the City of Oakland … Continue reading
Posted in planning, politics
Leave a comment
Columbus, discovery, and property rights
Since about 1984 I have been interested in the Columbus myth. I think I was one of the last generations who learned what I call the ‘Columbus two-step:’ Step #1: Columbus-as-hero. You know the rhyme: “In 1492 Columbus sailed the … Continue reading
Posted in planning, politics
Leave a comment
Modernity, transparency, and reflection
Ananya Roy introduced me to Benjamin’s work in 2008, through Susan Buck-Morss’ The dialectics of seeing (1989). I found the book maddeningly opaque, the first time I read it. Part of my challenge is that I come from a technical … Continue reading
Posted in planning, politics
Leave a comment
It’s alive!
Yesterday I returned from the Association of American Geographers conference in NYC, and walked through a remarkable exhibit in the San Francisco Airport on animated dolls. SFO is actually certified as a museum, and the general quality of the exhibits … Continue reading
Posted in planning, politics
Leave a comment
Common-sense political economics
November 17, 2011 On the two-month anniversary of Occupy Wall Street, I am re-posting some older essays I have written that pertain to this movement. I strongly endorse the OWS policy of not taking any specific position. I think it … Continue reading
Posted in politics
Leave a comment
From Corporations to Nation-States
Today we assume that modern nation-states are the successors to early-modern kingdoms and royal colonies. In a spatial sense, I still agree with this: the Republic of France occupies the same territory as the prior Kingdom of France; India occupies … Continue reading
Posted in politics
Leave a comment
The Third World War
08 November 2007 / 17 Aqrab 1386 Writing the essay on October 19, and then presenting and discussing the paper yesterday has clarified a few things for me. It seems that the Third-World War is underway. Simply put, it is … Continue reading
Posted in planning, politics
Leave a comment
Hawks hiding among doves
19 October 2007 / 25 Mizan 1386 Two weeks ago I took a field trip to a UNHCR resettlement site north of Kabul. We traveled in a bullet-proof white SUV, with doors that must weigh 200 pounds and windows that … Continue reading
Posted in politics
Leave a comment
A change of heart
Those of you who are following these webpages know that I am focused on post-war urban reconstruction and political-economic development. And I think Franz Fanon and Desmond Tutu describe the critical steps necessary to get beyond a condition of war: … Continue reading
Posted in planning, politics
Leave a comment