Race, Real Estate and Education
eBook - PDF

Race, Real Estate and Education

Inventing Gentrification in Philadelphia, 1960-2020

  1. 217 pages
  2. English
  3. PDF
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

Race, Real Estate and Education

Inventing Gentrification in Philadelphia, 1960-2020

About this book

Philadelphia's urban renewal efforts in the 1950s, which re-envisioned the city as a residential enclave, were an early example of gentrification. In West Philadelphia in the 1960s, a coalition of universities and hospitals went further, initiating K-12 public school improvements meant to attract an affluent and whiter population. As Edward Epstein details in Race, Real Estate, and Education, these interventions discounted the negative impact they could have on neighborhood residents.

Epstein outlines the citywide context for the plan to create "University City" in West Philadelphia. He recounts the attempts to correct the segregation, overcrowding, and authoritarian management that plagued Philadelphia's public schools. As the West Philadelphia Corporation, the proxy for the universities and hospitals, initiated gentrification efforts, the local community resisted and protested, causing the project to fail. The effort was revived with spectacular success, however, with the launch of the well-funded Penn Alexander School in 2001.

Race, Real Estate, and Education shows how the pursuit of urbanist ideals sometimes deepens neighborhood injustice. Epstein's exploration of whether Philadelphia's overall approach was beneficial or misguided presents a cautionary tale.

In the series Urban Life, Landscape, and Policy

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Yes, you can access Race, Real Estate and Education by Edward M. Epstein in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Social Sciences & Higher Education. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Contents
  2. Acknowledgments
  3. A Note on Racial Terminology
  4. Names of Organizations and Abbreviations
  5. Introduction
  6. 1. Salvaging a Run-Down City
  7. 2. An Embattled School System
  8. 3. Developing the Mind, Developing the Neighborhood
  9. 4. Conflict and Disillusionment
  10. 5. Dark Years in West Philadelphia
  11. 6. A Jewel in Gentrification’s Crown
  12. 7. Good Causes, Evil Effects
  13. Notes
  14. Bibliography
  15. Index