RE: [Mpls] housing and gentrification
I would like to add a few pieces of information from the census and permit data as a backdrop for the discussion. If you look at construction and demolition permits from 1990 through year end 2000, there was a net loss of 1575 housing units. However in the 1990 census there were over 11,000 vacant housing units with a vacancy rate over 6%. The vacancy rate is now around 1%. This would imply that the 14,235 increase in population filled in most of our vacant units. Also, there is no good data on how many Somali are here. The census showed and increase of 20,870 Black/African American people in Minneapolis, which includes Somali and other African immigrants. It will be another year before the census reports 'ancestry' which will provide breakouts for Somali and other immigrants. Laura Lambert Powderhorn Park -Original Message- From: timothy connolly [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Thursday, May 17, 2001 1:45 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Mpls] housing and gentrification A week ago I wrote this in an "addendum to g,g,and g." "Jacking up could be demolishing 6000 units of housing over a decade while your population is growing by 14,300. Voila!" then I went on to talk about creating scarcity and supply and demand and other basic economic principles. I was taking a sarcastic jab at Carol Becker when i used the "jacking up" analogy and also her avowed support of the Mayor. Carol responded: "State of the City 1992 found 177,227 units. This included 76,811 single family homes and 56,761 in buildings with +5 units. In the 1999 State of the City, there were 177,569 units, with 77,660 sing. fam. homes, with 58,855 in buildings with +5 units. It is inaccurate to imply that there has been a loss of 6000 housing units and thus imply a scarcity being created by the demolition of housing units." Well then how about the number 1,984 units demolished in the decade from 1989-99? Admittedly it ain't 6000 but then again it's not Ms Becker inplication that there was no loss and that in fact there was a whopping increase of 342 units over 6 or 7 years. And it is important to note this came during a net increase of 14,300 new arrivals to Minneapolis, 50,000 or so of them Somalian refugees who live primarily within the environs of the city of Minneapolis. Then consider the large influx of Latinos to the city sopping up low cost housing like it were so much brown gravy on a meat loaf dinner. ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] housing and gentrification
A week ago I wrote this in an "addendum to g,g,and g." "Jacking up could be demolishing 6000 units of housing over a decade while your population is growing by 14,300. Voila!" then I went on to talk about creating scarcity and supply and demand and other basic economic principles. I was taking a sarcastic jab at Carol Becker when i used the "jacking up" analogy and also her avowed support of the Mayor. Carol responded: "State of the City 1992 found 177,227 units. This included 76,811 single family homes and 56,761 in buildings with +5 units. In the 1999 State of the City, there were 177,569 units, with 77,660 sing. fam. homes, with 58,855 in buildings with +5 units. It is inaccurate to imply that there has been a loss of 6000 housing units and thus imply a scarcity being created by the demolition of housing units." Well then how about the number 1,984 units demolished in the decade from 1989-99? Admittedly it ain't 6000 but then again it's not Ms Becker inplication that there was no loss and that in fact there was a whopping increase of 342 units over 6 or 7 years. And it is important to note this came during a net increase of 14,300 new arrivals to Minneapolis, 50,000 or so of them Somalian refugees who live primarily within the environs of the city of Minneapolis. Then consider the large influx of Latinos to the city sopping up low cost housing like it were so much brown gravy on a meat loaf dinner. The implications of the dearth of low cost housing and the influx of foreign immigrants weigh most heavily on our poor black population increasingly scattered to the less friendly environments in the suburbs and who then feel even more isolated in the majority society. This also has implications for black enntrepreneurship and economic development. Housing statistics are very difficult to interpret especially factoring in geographic and demographic data. If you go back 20 years which is a reasonable cycle in that it covers a decent range to see a trend and because it corresponds to the administrations in City Hall of Don Fraser and his protege Sharon Sayles Belton, you see how different neighborhoods saw changes in the number of units in different categories that is difficult for me to analyze. I suspect the numbers would verify my previous conclusions relative to immigrants and the transplanted native black population. Complicating the analysis is how units are accounted. In 1980 a new category appeared in the distribution of housing units by structure and community. THE CONDO, TOWNHOUSE category which began to balloon. Whether or not this is a good thing is open to consieration. It's always best when one can own their house but when poor people who cannot afford such a structure are displaced in favor of those that can pay you have gentrification, or perhaps re-gentrification in that we see the reversal of the flight to the suburbs that began in the late 50's and carried through the 70's. I received a number of replies on these posts. One post spoke of the fact that the Hollman settlement called for relocation to scattered sites in suburban communities. This is no solution. First of all, suburban communities are having their own problems just keeping up with their own needs in the affordable housing arena without being saddled with Minneapolis' exportation. Second: If you had witnessed the testimony of Ms Terry Tyler in last Friday's Near Northside Implementation Committee, you would reconsider the remedy to the problem. Ms Tyler is a young black single mother who moved to Chaska in good faith as a result of the Hollman settlement relocation and in her own words "my life has been a living hell and if I could move back today I would." She then recounted a pattern of racist harassment that was "oh so polite" only to the degree that nobody put a burning cross on her lawn or showed up in white sheets carrying torches. They just complained at every chance to municipal authorities. one could not help be moved by her story. I know all about Chaska. My former wife fell afoul of the white majority Missouri Synod Lutherans for being "one of those kind of women" dontcha know and she couldn't get away quick enough. I hate to be a suburb basher but if a tornado ripped through Chaska I wouldn't bat an eyelash. Better yet, I hope Ms Tyler sues and takes those sanctimonious prigs for all they've got. Serve 'em right. Well I think I have wandered sufficiently from my beginning point and given the sunshine I think it's time to go out and play. Oh, but before I go, for those interested in housing issues I found a story in the May 4th issue of Finance and Commerce about Jim Graham and his idea to build carriage houses a fascinating story and a welcome addition to a possible solution to some of our housing problems. Cheers! In the inimitable words of Arnord Schwarznegger "I'll be back". Tim Connolly Ward 7 __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Auctions - buy t