Urban Blight and Collective Consciousness: Responding to the Image of "Other"

Bedford Park Avenue Station, Bronx, NY
Photo Credit: Adam Moriera/City Limits

In class we have had a number of discussions around the impact the image of the city has on its vitality.  Thinking both within the United States, and in a larger global context, these discussions have often focused on the image of cities in terms of crime, diversity, and resources.  For example, in a post by a fellow classmate, Biqing Huang, a lens is used to explore how people often have dichotomous images of cities, seeing on one hand a cultural and economic hub that promotes innovation and growth, while on the other hand envisioning poverty and crime—fearing areas that are “labeled by color and are considered as dangerous.” Building on these discussions I find to interesting to consider the impacts these images have on responses to urban issues, most specifically how the perspective used when considering urban blight has distorted, if not eradicated, the issue from the public consciousness. 

In his 1991 article, As Urban Blight Worsens, Victims Find Their Isolation Is Deepening, Peter Applebome examines the intensifying segregation felt by residents of impoverished areas of cities.  However, what really caught my attention of Applebome’s assessment was his identification of a disconnect between the American public and the urban poor, noting that insulation from the problems of poverty is the norm in America (poverty is considered the problem of other individuals, rather than recognized as a societal issue concerning us all).  Applebome notes that many Americans not only separate themselves from poverty in a theoretical manner, but also quite literally:

Reston Town Center
Photo Credit: Global Village Encyclopedia

The effect of moving residents as well as jobs out of cities is a new kind of community. "If you go to a place like Reston Town Center outside Washington," Mr. Lockwood said, "they've created a downtown without crime, without graffiti, without poor people. It's not only white flight, it's total abandonment of the center city."

What Applebome describes is a public discourse which assumes the urban poor are “the other” and the issues of urban blight is a concern for “them.” The pervasiveness of this perspective is further examined in Gregory Mantsios’ excerpt Media Magic: Making Class Invisible.  In this piece, Mantsios explores that image of the poor perpetuated by media, explaining the inequalities are predominately hidden from public view, and if they are portrayed they “are provided with messages that obscure the nature of class realities and blame the victims of class dominated society for their own plight.”

I believe the disconnect between the general public and the experiences of poor areas and residents is a significant issue, because it influences the response to communities’ and individuals’ needs.  As a means of countering this disconnect I think there needs to exist an effort for improved social integration.  Fostering engagement among the American public would support a more collective consciousness, hopefully detaching the label of “the other” from the poor.  For example, by better integrating people from low socioeconomic statuses into community systems and processes (e.g., encouraging representation from low-income residents in community groups and city discussion bodies), these residents would not only build their personal assets and capacities but would also develop relationships that would make them less distant from the more economically secure residents. 

One way of fostering the public’s engagement in issues of urban blight would be to enrich the understanding of the importance of cities.  In the video below, Edward Glaesaer provides insights into the critical functions of cities, explaining their role in creating change and breading knowledge and progress.  Glaesaer, a Professor of Economics at Harvard, states that “human kinds greatest hits…are made in cities.”  He goes on to note the significance of human capital in promoting the ability for cities to function to their potential.  This point is of particular merit because it emphasizes the need to support both cities and their residents as means for general growth (not just individual city prosperity). 

In addition to the resources included within the post, readers who enjoyed this discussion may be interested in the following:

• Urban America: US cities in the global economy. In this 2012 report, the McKinsey Global Institute (the business and economics research arm of a large market consulting firm) provides data supporting the claim that “the strength of the U.S. economy rests on a broad base of large cities.” While the report does not provide recommendations for how to foster city success, it does address the importance of city vitality. 
• The Economic Strength of Cities.  Video of Richard Florida’s talk at the Aspen Ideas Festival provides his perspective of the role of cities in cultivating intellectual and cultural development, while also being a vehicle of economic growth.   
• Engaging with the urban poor and their organizations for poverty reduction and urban governance.  United Nations Development Programme, which focuses its work in four main areas (poverty reduction, democratic governance, crisis prevention and recovery, and environment and sustainable development), released this 2011 report, which explores the impact of organizations developed and managed by the urban poor and how these organization's engage with government.  This document provides interesting insight on the success that can materialize out of engaging rather than isolating the urban poor.