Henry Edwards-Wood – Britain (b. after 1957)
2014 – London – Having faced the grim prospect of eviction just before the holidays, residents of a housing block in east London are instead toasting an unlikely victory over U.S. property investors. Multi-billion dollar asset management firm Westbrook Partners said Friday that it would abandon its plan to raise rents to market values — a move that would have tripled the cost to some residents — and instead sell the New Era estate to an affordable housing charity… London mayor Boris Johnson reportedly also got involved, urging Westbrook to reconsider and, later, deploying a deputy to help negotiate the sale to an affordable housing group… In ditching the plan, Westbrook appeared to bow to public and government pressure following a well-orchestrated campaign. New Era residents organized a change.org petition with nearly 350,000 signatures and attracted major media attention to their cause, thanks in large part to the efforts of British actor Russell Brand. On several occasions, the outspoken comedian turned social activist marched in the streets alongside New Era residents and supporters, and demonstrated outside Westbrook’s office holding signs that read, “Social housing, not social cleansing.” – http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/12/19/new-era-housing.html
Portland – promises to address such displacement, the city has pushed ahead with policies that intensify racial disparities. Most recently it offered a $2.6 million parcel of land for a mere $500,000 to the billionaire-owned Majestic Realty to develop a Trader Joe’s outlet. The deal would have increased displacement without any guarantees for community hiring or affordable housing. After an outcry from the African-American community, Trader Joe’s withdrew from the deal. – http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2014/3/education-reformportlandpublicschoolsgentrification.html
Los angeles – 2008 – In a landslide victory for renters throughout California, Proposition 98 — a measure that would end rent control in the state — failed. – http://www.esperanzacommunityhousing.org/tag/gentrification/
London – 2014 – http://magazine.good.is/articles/southbank-center – London’s skater community claimed victory over developers who wanted to transform the scene’s vibrant home, located in the undercroft of London’s Southbank Center, into a generic shopping center. Long Live Southbank, the non-profit organization of skaters and allies that was formed to protect the space from commercial development, tweeted out the announcement this morning. “After 17 months we can announce Southbank is finally saved—a massive thank you to all who stood with us,” they wrote. The Southbank Center is a major arts and entertainment complex based in central London. The undercroft, located beneath a music hall, has been the home of the local skater community since the 70s, and is widely acknowledged as the birthplace of British skating… The mayor of London, Boris Johnson, lent his support to Long Live Southbank earlier this year, at a city planning meeting where he referred to the undercroft …“This much-loved community space has been used by thousands of young people over the years,” said Johnson. “It attracts tourists from across the world and undoubtedly adds to the vibrancy of the area—it helps to make London the great city it is.” – I joined the campaign later in the year, splitting my time between the table where we collected signatures and spoke to the public about the importance of the space, and the emails, where we were constantly bombarded by no end of people who wanted to collaborate with us in some way: students, photographers, lecturers, musicians, filmmakers, journalists and many more. After collecting record breaking numbers of signatures, support given by the Mayor of London Boris Johnson, and signing up member numbers to rival the main political parties, the Southbank Centre conceded that they would have to reassess their plans. In September, we signed a Section 106 agreement with the Southbank Centre, guaranteeing the long term future of our skate spot. The whole campaign has made all of us a lot more conscious about the way our city is evolving and what sorts of spaces are conducive to the really exciting creative self-expression which we love. – See more at: http://www.llsb.com/category/blog/#sthash.WlUUtkp5.dpuf video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=908Iudxi9Oo&feature=youtu.be
erin christine bell 