A little late, but…
...very cool: Los Angeles’ original blogger interviews Los Angeles’ original dystopian writer.In the debut issue of New Angeles (a downtown/eastside monthly), Ken Layne interviews Mike Davis—author of some of my faves, including City of Quartz and Ecology of Fear—on the eastside renaissance, smart growth, and the Grand Avenue project. Take a moment and check it out. Still cynical, still Mike Davis.
Labels: bloggers, grand avenue, ken layne, mike davis, smart growth
Posted by solomon @ 8/01/2007 07:55:00 PM
5 Comments:
City of Quartz: The sociology of our local architecture. Good stuff.
Wasn't WWG's buddy Brady Westwater a major critic of Davis?
Not sure about that, but if he is, he'll have to get in line. Even the left thinks Davis is too far left!
I love Davis' way of imagining L.A., even if I don't believe his solutions are the correct ones.
Brady Westwater sure is a critic of zuma dogg -- catch his CityWatch critique? Makes dog meat of Dogg.
Davis is an idiot. Let's count the ways:
1. LA is constrained by geography from expanding, choked off by the Sea to the West and the Mountains to the East.
2. Illegal Immigration means millions of people flow into LA looking for limited housing.
3. Crime and violence keep natural middle-class areas in poor minority hands, such as South Central LA. This is good for those concerned with ethnic solidarity and identity, not so good for those who want to cash out or buy in.
4. Gays as two men in a family form the shock troops of gentrification, being far more tolerant of crime and physical threats.
If Davis wants affordable housing, then the solutions are simple but hard: stop illegal immigration, reduce crime (putting the ethnic militias aka gangs out of business in South Central and Eastside) by vigorous and unrestrained policing, and either have a huge police force riding Mass Transit (rail, buses sit in traffic) that goes everywhere or build the heck out of freeways everywhere.
Davis is further an idiot because people don't want diversity. They pay lip service to that idiot religion but you don't see David Geffen or Steven Spielberg in any place but Malibu or Beverly Hills. People want to live with people like themselves. Only moderately richer (worst house in best neighborhood).
Honestly, I don't get this guy other than a jumped up Faith Popcorn. Another "futurist" who has no clue about ordinary, non-trendy/edgy singletons.
Seriously you can learn more about people, real estate, and affordable housing watching TLC's "Flip That House" than Davis.
LA's biggest problem is too few cops and not enough liberated enforcement leading to high-crime, and too many people chasing too few housing units. You know, supply, demand curves setting prices?
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