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Book Review: Once the American Dream: Inner–Ring Suburbs of the Metropolitan United States

Book Review: Once the American Dream: Inner–Ring Suburbs of the Metropolitan United States Book Reviews NAKED CITY:THE DEATH AND LIFE OF AUTHENTIC URBAN PLACES, by Sharon Zukin. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010. ISBN 978-0-1953-8285-3 (Cloth); 314 pp. Reviewed by Derek Hyra Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Sharon Zukin’s Naked City takes us on an intriguing tour of several New York City neigh- borhoods, parks, and gardens to illustrate the ways in which culture patterns neigh- borhood development and urban life. The book is an insightful analysis of gentrifica- tion, and the role that culture and authenticity play in sparking the redevelopment of Williamsburg, Harlem, the Lower East Side, and Red Hook. In addition to these neigh- borhoods, there is an examination of how consumer-driven change has altered and in- fluenced the developmental trajectory of Union Square Park, the World Trade Center redevelopment site, and community gardens scattered throughout the city. The theme that Zukin uses to unite these diverse landscapes is the quest for and competition among gentrifiers, city planners, political officials, long-term residents, real estate developers, and bloggers to define the authenticity of space, and thus who has the rights to certain places. For Zukin, urban transformation is driven largely by cultural consumption patterns. She argues that, “Our tastes http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png City and Community SAGE

Book Review: Once the American Dream: Inner–Ring Suburbs of the Metropolitan United States

City and Community , Volume 10 (4): 1 – Dec 1, 2011

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References (5)

Publisher
SAGE
Copyright
© 2011 American Sociological Association
ISSN
1535-6841
eISSN
1540-6040
DOI
10.1111/j.1540-6040.2011.01380.x
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Book Reviews NAKED CITY:THE DEATH AND LIFE OF AUTHENTIC URBAN PLACES, by Sharon Zukin. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010. ISBN 978-0-1953-8285-3 (Cloth); 314 pp. Reviewed by Derek Hyra Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Sharon Zukin’s Naked City takes us on an intriguing tour of several New York City neigh- borhoods, parks, and gardens to illustrate the ways in which culture patterns neigh- borhood development and urban life. The book is an insightful analysis of gentrifica- tion, and the role that culture and authenticity play in sparking the redevelopment of Williamsburg, Harlem, the Lower East Side, and Red Hook. In addition to these neigh- borhoods, there is an examination of how consumer-driven change has altered and in- fluenced the developmental trajectory of Union Square Park, the World Trade Center redevelopment site, and community gardens scattered throughout the city. The theme that Zukin uses to unite these diverse landscapes is the quest for and competition among gentrifiers, city planners, political officials, long-term residents, real estate developers, and bloggers to define the authenticity of space, and thus who has the rights to certain places. For Zukin, urban transformation is driven largely by cultural consumption patterns. She argues that, “Our tastes

Journal

City and CommunitySAGE

Published: Dec 1, 2011

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