The politics of Place, Oppression, and Privilege are all connected in a metropolitan city like New York. Hayden discusses how “space is permeated with social relations; it is not only supported by [them] but it is also producing—and produced—by [them]. A “Place” can denote both an aesthetic history, and the cultural history—even long after the group that resided there has left.  A city is organized by the biases and perspectives of the organizer; we see segregated neighborhoods, areas divided by race and social or economical inequality, because history is written in a way that neglects minority histories (Hayden, 9).

in “Privileged Places,” we read how the segregation, sprawl, and concentrated poverty of Post World War II urban development led to uneven development and racial disparities throughout the country. In the separated communities, even education—known as “the great Equalizer”—is not up to par in poorer neighborhoods and cities. Additionally, in “Five Faces of Oppression,” we are given criteria for an “oppressed race” (Young).

In our last class, we discussed what we thought the main issue being discussed was. I chose segregation (not knowing what the next week’s reading would bring). There has been uneven development throughout New York City, which leads to the underrepresentation and thus inattention to certain communities and neighborhoods that could really use some help. 

Squires and Kubrin (Privileged Places) discuss how both class-based policies and race-based initiatives must be used to even out the city. They use the term “colorblindness” to describe legislation that is technically universal in character but has clear racial implications. One such form of legislation is inclusionary zoning, as proposed by Mayor Bill de Blasio. Inclusionary zoning and other forms of fair housing law enforcement will be necessary to reduce the racial segregation throughout the city. 

Discussion Question: Hayden mentions how New York City (meaning, the center of global culture, finance, et cetera) would not be complete without Harlem and the Bronx. Is the unintentional class system and the society that follows a characteristic of a metropolitan city—and thus, would New York City be the same without it?