gentrification today goes beyond an accounting trick. It’s become a theory of governance that places the needs of capital over people. One could argue that a poor city such as Detroit might need gentrification to fill its budget gaps. But what about San Francisco? The city doesn’t need to keep attracting rich people; it was not in economic crisis before the tech wave crashed on its shores. The city’s budget was already relatively balanced before the tech boom. Yet city administrators keep zoning for more condos and more high-rise office buildings and handing out tax breaks to companies; its
...more
