I will hand out black and whites for all these maps in class, but they are much better in color. in some cases, you will have to search through a report. In the 2006 Women and HIV report, the maps i handed out are on pages 19-22. for the 2009 HIV in NYC report, the maps are on page 4.
here are some maps of other health indicators from 2012
and finally, poverty data from the last census
In addition to the technical challenges, this article introduces the horrifying policy of “planned shrinkage,” which was a very real element of NYC urban planning and policy in the 1970s. I have to say that this is one of the few (20th century, American, urban) policies i know of where something close to intentional evil seems to be involved, although very much in line with hannah arendt’s analysis of the banality of evil.
It is extremely difficult for me to wrap my mind around the idea of a neighborhood as close-knit as Northeast, Roanoke was before urban renewal, and it is absolutely devastating that so many people were subjected to the displacement that lead to such drastic life changes. Now, living in Brooklyn, I cannot imagine a city neighborhood where it is perfectly safe to leave your doors unlocked, children unattended and secrets known. As a non-native to New York City, I suppose my perspective could be skewed, but even in my small hometown in Pennsylvania, I knew of no neighborhood in which everyone knew and helped one another like they did in Roanoke. It is heinous–but not at all surprising–that the government would blatantly disregard the needs and livelihoods of an entire community of people in favor of profit. Is this something you see happening in New York City today? Where and in what ways?
(One mildly relevant side-note: As I was reading, I could not help but think of Urban Outfitters’ “Urban Renewal” line, in which old clothing is cut up and redesigned, then sold at a high mark up. Given the implications of urban renewal as discussed in the reading and the many accusations of racism Urban Outfitters–a massive, high-profile company with a white Republican billionaire for a CEO–has faced, I found this more than a little amusing.)
