"Good jobs, not gentrification" : the fight for community centered development in Roxbury
Name
959623804-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
2.78 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
cb0450d215b4b9c312939e199f6647ac
Author(s)
Zakon, Carmela
Advisor(s)
J. Phillip Thompson.
Alternative Title
Fight for community centered development in Roxbury, Mass.
Date Issued
2016
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
This thesis examines the potential and limitations of organizing for community control and employment benefits in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood. Following decades of disinvestment, this community is experiencing an upsurge in new commercial and residential construction. Concerns about gentrification and displacement of low and moderate income residents inspired a wave of direct action organizing demanding tangible local employment benefits from new development. The campaign culminated in the passage of a "Good Jobs Policy", to be applied to future construction projects in Roxbury. This thesis factors in organizing strategy and political context to explain the campaign's successes and failures. The findings indicated that appropriate preparation and timing, a strong organizing infrastructure, political support and sustained community mobilization helped ensure the policy's passage through the local advisory body. The exclusion of one of its intended provisions can be attributed to the poor governance practices and the competing priorities of local stakeholders. Drawing on these lessons, this thesis recommends a set of priorities and actions to advance community control and benefit from future development in the neighborhood.
Description
Thesis: M.C.P., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Urban Studies and Planning, 2016.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 45-48).
Subjects
Urban Studies and Planning.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Urban Studies and Planning
Terms of Use
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