Regulating Vacancy & Reproducing Inequality
Vacancy is a part of life in many Rust Belt cities, and local authorities often struggle to address vacancy in meaningful yet equitable ways. While vacancy poses significant problems, residents also often use and care for these spaces in creative, informal ways. In this talk, Claire Herbert draws on lessons from her book, A Detroit Story, to show how government efforts to address vacancy can reproduce longstanding race and class inequalities, by bolstering the practices of more privileged newcomers and suppressing the strategies longtime residents have developed for managing vacancy in their communities. By attending to these underlying property relations that shape residents’ practices, policymakers can better anticipate the impact of revitalization efforts that aim to tackle vacancy in a more meaningful, equitable ways.
Reception to follow. Bring your thoughts!
This event is funded by the UMSL Department of Sociology and College of Arts and Science’s Community Engagement Grant.
