This question has been rattling round my brain for years, but has got louder while I’ve been here. There are, as ever, exceptions and generalisations in what follows. But overall, the organised left, including within trade unions, socialist, revolutionary and labourist/social democratic parties, appears unable to fully recognise the scale of housing misery for working… Continue reading What does the left not get about housing?
Tag: Housing
Bad Morning America
Last week, I went to the Museum of the City of New York and saw an exhibition called Rising Tides. It captured the devastating impact global warming and rising sea levels are already having on some parts of the world, causing the displacement of whole communities and the prospect of millions more climate refugees in… Continue reading Bad Morning America
The Gathering Storm
This is a “hot take” and potentially, a strained metaphor. But I’ve woken this morning to the news that the US Supreme Court has struck down the federal (i.e. national) eviction moratorium. This was expected, including by the Biden administration and I presume it means all the other eviction suspensions (like the one in New… Continue reading The Gathering Storm
A Tale of Two Meetings
I went to two meetings on Friday. The first was online and attended by representatives from housing campaigns in New York state. The second was in person, at The Peoples Forum, a venue for the progressive left in midtown Manhattan. As a more articulate person than me, who’d also been to both, said, there was… Continue reading A Tale of Two Meetings
The Coops
I made a discovery this morning. Three miles east of Co-Op City is more evidence of NYC’s somewhat hidden history of non-market housing. When I first arrived here (the Allerton neighbourhood of the Bronx), I noticed a very distinctive building on the corner of Allerton Avenue and Bronx Park East. I had a quick look… Continue reading The Coops
The Shape of Things to Come
Having been here less than two weeks, it’s difficult to accurately assess where things are going with New York City’s deeply troubled housing situation. But there seems to be an uneasy hiatus, that perhaps reflects the mood of the city and nation as a whole. There are some numbers that give an indication of what’s… Continue reading The Shape of Things to Come
Test Card
Barring last minute hitches, I’ll be flying to the US next Monday to start my six-month Fulbright Scholarship in The Bronx. I’m planning to use this blog to record and share my experiences, but I’m having launch anxiety! So this post is by way of a Test Card to check if things are working. It… Continue reading Test Card
Bronx Tales 