Recapturing Democracy: Neoliberalization and the Struggle for Alternative Urban Futures

222 Pages·2008·6.37 MB·English

by  Mark Purcell

R D
ECAPTURING EMOCRACY

R D
ECAPTURING EMOCRACY
Neoliberalization and the Struggle for
Alternative Urban Futures
Mark Purcell
ROUTLEDGE
NEW YORK AND LONDON
First published 2008
by Routledge
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Simultaneously published in the UK
by Routledge
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Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Purcell, Mark Hamilton
Recapturing democracy : neoliberalization and the struggle for alternative
urban futures / Mark Purcell – 1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references
1. Urban economics 2. Neoliberalism 3. Democracy I. Title
HT321.P87 2008
330.9173´2–dc22 2007027725
ISBN 0-203-93294-3 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN10: 0–415–95434–7 (hbk)
ISBN10: 0–415–95435–5 (pbk)
ISBN10: 0–203–93294–3 (ebk)
ISBN13: 978–0–415–95434–1 (hbk)
ISBN13: 978–0–415–95435–8 (pbk)
ISBN13: 978–0–203–93294–0 (ebk)
FOR EDWARD BENTON PURCELL,
in whose footsteps I follow.
I search for the right word, but there is none.

C
ONTENTS
Illustrations ix
Acknowledgements xi
Introduction 1
Chapter 1 The “Terror” of Neoliberalization 7
Chapter 2 The Many Faces of Democracy 33
Chapter 3 New Democratic Attitudes 75
Chapter 4 On the Ground in Seattle and Los Angeles 109
Conclusion: You Can Hear Her Breathing 169
Notes 183
References 187
Index 205
vii

I
LLUSTRATIONS
FIGURES
4.1 South Lake Union, showing Cascade neighborhood 113
4.2 South Lake Union in context 113
4.3 South Lake Union in the context of surrounding property
values 114
4.4 Vulcan holdings in South Lake Union 114
4.5 South Lake Union, showing completed and planned
development 115
4.6 Cascade Park and the Alcyone Apartments 121
4.7 Seattle waterfront showing viaduct and downtown 126
4.8 Map of property ownership on Seattle’s waterfront 132
4.9 Green–Duwamish River watershed 136
4.10 Governance structure of the Duwamish cleanup 138
4.11 South Park and Georgetown, with hotspots 143
4.12 South Park neighborhood, showing Terminal 117 site 148
4.13 The San Fernando Valley in context 158
4.14 Homeowners associations with percentage white in tract 159
4.15 Homeowners associations with median income in tract 159
4.16 Homeowners associations with City Council districts, 1990s 163
ix