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listening to @jbouie going over the history of zoning in Berkeley, implemented to prevent "the invasion of Negros & Asiatics"
OG zoners were really up front about apartment bans, talked about apartments "bring[ing] the heathen Chinese into the midst [of single family homes]"
OG zoners were really up front about apartment bans, talked about apartments "bring[ing] the heathen Chinese into the midst [of single family homes]"
"cities which were early adopters of zoning ordinances came to be 10% more segregated over the next 50 years than cities that were not early adopters" & also showed greater disparities in property values
"since the implementation of exclusionary zoning in Charlottesville in the 1950s & subsequent downzoning, the African American population has declined from a high of 45% to 19% today"
defenders of exclusionary zoning today may not see their actions in those terms, BUTā¦
defenders of exclusionary zoning today may not see their actions in those terms, BUTā¦
even in places that may try to mitigate effects through Affordable Housing policies, "racial inequality is maintained through exclusionary zoningā¦ one of the important steps we can take [to strike a blow for equity] is to open up our cities for people to live in them"
the great CM Rick Bonilla: "we were strictly zoned to create winners & losers"
audience Q&A: "how do we talk to white people about racism & exclusionary zoning?"
reference to recent writing from Jamelle about whiteness as property, and the material benefits it provides to its "possessors"
reference to recent writing from Jamelle about whiteness as property, and the material benefits it provides to its "possessors"
Jamelle recommends against using the frame of privilege: "segregation may create the illusion of advantage, but a segregated society is a brittle society" & that hurts everyone
[there's research that more segregated cities invest less in public goods]
[there's research that more segregated cities invest less in public goods]
Q: "can you address concerns around density & coronavirus? how can cities do density right & be healthy?"
Jamelle: "I'm not a planner or anything" (is that @TribTowerViews I hear cheering?), we see plenty of dense cities have done fine but overcrowding is a real problem
Jamelle: "I'm not a planner or anything" (is that @TribTowerViews I hear cheering?), we see plenty of dense cities have done fine but overcrowding is a real problem
Q: let's talk about neighborhood character!
Jamelle: when I hear that in Charlottesville, "it's very clearly a deflection relying on people's bias for stasisā¦ not gonna say there's no such thing as neighborhood character" but it shouldn't be synonymous with low density
Jamelle: when I hear that in Charlottesville, "it's very clearly a deflection relying on people's bias for stasisā¦ not gonna say there's no such thing as neighborhood character" but it shouldn't be synonymous with low density
Jamelle talking about the bungalow courts on his block that would be illegal to build today, but you could tear them down & replace them with a McMansion & that would be just fine
"strict zoning can lead to kind of absurd outcomes"
"strict zoning can lead to kind of absurd outcomes"
Q: "what are the implications of us returning to a renters' society?"
Jamelle: "there are certainly going to be more renters, but this will still be a society with high homeownershipā¦ I have yet to live in a place where renters have been organized as a class"
Jamelle: "there are certainly going to be more renters, but this will still be a society with high homeownershipā¦ I have yet to live in a place where renters have been organized as a class"
Q: how do we shift political power away from homevoters?
Jamelle: "that's the $20 million questionā¦ the whole process of buying a home presses on you the identity of homeowner, in addition to all these other societal forcesā¦ you could call that a form of class consciousness"
Jamelle: "that's the $20 million questionā¦ the whole process of buying a home presses on you the identity of homeowner, in addition to all these other societal forcesā¦ you could call that a form of class consciousness"
Jamelle is calling for middle class homeowners unhappy with how exclusionary homevoter interests dominate local politics to be "class traitors of a sort" 
Q: how do we bridge the gap to build a coalition between anti-gentrification activists & anti-exclusionary zoning advocates?
Jamelle: "I would try to find points of connection & personal experienceā¦ if you can find a common concrete material interest"
Jamelle: "I would try to find points of connection & personal experienceā¦ if you can find a common concrete material interest"
cites examples from Charlottesville about sometimes opposing groups who have encountered common challenges that affect both efforts to build missing middle & efforts to revitalize public housing
"there are barriers that all sides [who broadly support more homes] hit"
"there are barriers that all sides [who broadly support more homes] hit"
Q: "do you think an explicitly anti-racist campaign would be effective in San Mateo?"
A: "It's easy & sometimes kinda fun to make fun of woke peopleā¦ but I think people underestimate the extent to which that can be a pathway to building political coalitions"
A: "It's easy & sometimes kinda fun to make fun of woke peopleā¦ but I think people underestimate the extent to which that can be a pathway to building political coalitions"
"in the history of the United States it is very unusual to have this many white people interested in anti-racism, even if it's only rhetorical"
draw connections between how racism is both bad & affecting daily lives
"anti-racism speaks to basic values of fairness & equity"
draw connections between how racism is both bad & affecting daily lives
"anti-racism speaks to basic values of fairness & equity"
Q: "should people have no say in their neighborhood?"
A: "people should have a say, but it should be balanced against broader concernsā¦ balancing far too often leans against building homes for people & toward keeping things the sameā¦ which hasn't worked/has been destructive"
A: "people should have a say, but it should be balanced against broader concernsā¦ balancing far too often leans against building homes for people & toward keeping things the sameā¦ which hasn't worked/has been destructive"
Q: "how do we bring equity to the process so that low income communities of color can stay through new development? negotiating with developers is often the only tool they have"
A: "speaks to the basic question of political power"
A: "speaks to the basic question of political power"
"have to build a countervailing political force to affluent homeowners so that they can't just be an implacable wall"
and that, I think, is as good a concluding message as any!
and that, I think, is as good a concluding message as any!
