Cities 07

Effects of condoization

I am doing my project on condoization. I want to find out what kind of social stratification condoization and gentrification have provided, and continue to provide, in urban settings. I plan on doing my observation and ethnography of condo’s in two or more areas of the city and compare them. In particular (and for one area) I plan on doing research on the midtown area. I am very interested in how the gentrification and condoization of Lake street has effected businesses (smaller ones), neighbors, and in particular the low-income citizens who once occupied this space. Race, class, gender, and sexuality all play a part in the social inequalities that push so-called “second rate citizens” out of their homes leaving them without anything. As far as I know from the little research I have done thus far, it is clear that the areas that are being condolized and gentrified are places typically inhabited by low-income, subordinate race citizens. This remodeling of the city leaves businesses, homes, families, and individuals that struggle enough already in a state of even more despair; homeless, jobless, debited. I plan on interviewing those that live in the condo’s to see, mostly, what their motives for being there really are. Are they there to be surrounded by urban culture and if so how have they in reality begun to get themselves involved. If they have chosen the more secluded route, I want to learn why. Did they really intend to bring their surburban lifestyles with them (assuming they came from suburban areas!?), or did they desire a certain urban gated community. Did they move into the condo from a house, the suburbs, the city, an apartment, for environmental reasons, for less space etc. Are people inhabiting these condo’s coming with their families or individually?

I have already contacted the city pages for articles written in recent pasts about Minneapolis’s condoization. I am trying to track down a book about the effects of condoization as well…(I’m unsure of the title or the author!!)…

As for theorists there are a lot of ways to go about this. I think I will be able to solidify my ideas more once I begin to talk to people. For now though I plan on using Jane Jacob’s use of sidewalks theory. I also intend to use Castells, Caldiera, Zukin, and Groth. All of these theorists in one way or another talk about gentrification and isolation that the suburban lifestyle may provide!