Race, Politics, and Neighborhood Revitalization: The Economic Transformation of Harlem and Bronzeville

Author: Derek S. Hyra

Dissertation School: University of Chicago

Pages: 238

Publication Date: August 2005

Availability:
Available from the HUD USER Helpdesk P.O. Box 23268 Washington, DC 20026-3268 Toll Free: 1-800-245-2691 Fax: 1-202-708-9981 Email: oup@oup.org

Access Number: 10792

Abstract:

Harlem in New York City and Bronzeville in Chicago are two of the most historic and culturally significant urban African-American communities in the country. These areas have been critical spaces for the study of neighborhood change theory, Black urban life, and concentrated poverty. After a middle-class flight and almost 40 years of economic abandonment, these urban communities are currently experiencing massive influxes of commercial and residential investments, rapidly changing them from low- to more mixed-income environments.

Based on a 4-year comparative ethnography, using extensive participant observation, interviews, and archival data, this study seeks to illustrate the complex nature of interacting forces that related to neighborhood transformation. I explore how dynamics stemming from the global economy, federal urban policies, city action, and local activism interact with one another to contribute to the redevelopment of these areas. This is the most comprehensive investigation of the current economic transformations taking place in these communities. I demonstrate that while global and federal dynamics influence these neighborhoods, distinct metropolitan political landscapes mediate external, as well as internal community forces. Thus, while processes originating from the global economy become increasingly important, local circumstances remain central. This study touches on notions of race, class, and politics and suggests that urban development theory must address multiple levels of analysis in order to fully conceptualize neighborhood transformation.

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