The Politics of Gentrification

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I think that the aesthetics of gentrification are really commonly misunderstood. It's caused by speculative developers buying up places on the cheap, displacing residents and raising rents. You know, architecture may be a handmaiden in that, but it's very silly to say that like a building causes gentrification. These are individualist ideas. When the reality is, will fix climate change or prevent climate change or fight against climate change, these are collective struggles and they're political struggles. They're aestheticized, but they're not aesthetic struggles.

Paris Marx is joined by Kate Wagner to discuss the goals behind Saudi Arabia’s architectural megaprojects, the incentives for major architects to work on projects for despotic regimes, and how architecture’s relationship to tech is driven by profits and PR.

Kate Wagner is an architecture critic and journalist. She’s also the creator of McMansion Hell. Follow Kate on Twitter at @mcmansionhell.

Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, and support the show on Patreon.

The podcast is produced by Eric Wickham and part of the Harbinger Media Network.

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