Friday, April 25, 2014

Explaining Gentrification: Geography of Knowledge Hubs

University, not restrictive zoning, as agent of gentrification at Pacific Standard magazine.

Theme: Ironic gentrification.

Subject Article: "Introduction, Knowledge Hubs: Infrastructure and the Knowledge Economy in City-Regions."

Other Links: 1. "Hub Cities in the Knowledge Economy: Seaports, Airports, Brainports."
2. "Growth Without Growth: An Alternative Economic Development Goal For Metropolitan Areas."
3. "Penntrification: Mom-and-pops keep feeling the squeeze in West Philly."
4. "Explaining Gentrification."
5. "Explaining Gentrification: Global Jobs Versus Local Jobs."
6. "Black Bottom Blues: Revisiting the neighborhood that Penn and Drexel gobbled up."

Postscript: "The Chinese take Manhattan: replace Russians as top apartment buyers":

The Chinese are also venturing out to Long Island, where they are buying Gatsby-esque mansions set atop rolling greens.

Broker Shawn Elliott ferries around groups of Chinese buyers in Rolls Royce and Mercedes-Benz luxury sprinters every week, often catering to entire families at a time.

"They're looking for trophy properties," said Elliott. "They're looking for their children to be comfortable, and to be near Columbia or New York University."

The quality of the real estate buyers is more important than the quantity of real estate buyers. The mantra "increase supply" in order to abate gentrification is reductionist, in the worst way.

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