In class on Wednesday we wrapped up our section on “Shapers of NYC past,” with an investigation into gentrification- its root causes, how it has changed over time, and what it looks like today (in your group projects especially).   We ended by discussing a few alternatives that were raised by Sam Stein in his article on “DeBlasio’s Doomed Housing Plan.”  These include improving/expanding public housing, rent regulation, and Community Land Trusts.  We will explore these and other alternatives/”shaping strategies” as the semester goes on, through class readings and your projects.   For a round-up of recent news on these topics, and some supplementary explanations of things we didn’t have time to cover completely in class, please see the announcements page.