Urban Planning and Public Space
Back in Jersey City: JCAST 2017
On Sunday, October 15, 2017, I was honored to participate in 111 1st Street: A Community of Artists, an exhibit featuring the artists of the former 111 1st Street–the subject of Left Bank of the Hudson. Elaine Hansen, a 111 alumnus herself, organized the show as part of the 2017 Jersey City Art & Studio…
My Book Tour: The First Week
This past Saturday, I returned home after a week on the road promoting Left Bank of the Hudson. I started in my native region with events in Olean and Buffalo, New York and then headed to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Everyone whom I met expressed genuine interest in the topics of cities, gentrification, artists, and historic preservation.…
WORD: My First Jersey City Crowd
On Saturday, October 7, 2017, WORD Bookstore hosted the Jersey City launch for Left Bank of the Hudson. Terrence McDonald, a talented and sharp journalist from the Jersey Journal, joined me for a lively and fun conversation. This marked my first discussion with my (adopted) hometown crowd. Jersey City did not disappoint. A terrific afternoon…
Book Culture: My Book Tour Begins
On October 3, 2017, Left Bank of the Hudson: Jersey City and the Artists of 111 1st Street, my first book, was published. Officially, I became an author. Book Culture, a great Manhattan bookstore and a dangerous place for any book lover, hosted the New York release party. I read a passage from my book,…
Left Bank of the Hudson: A Short Reflection
My first book, Left Bank of the Hudson: Jersey City and the Artists of 111 1st Street, will be released by Fordham University Press on October 3, 2017. Next week.
A Walk Through Journal Square (or Journal Squared)
While walking through the Journal Square section of Jersey City on a pleasant Sunday afternoon, I stopped and snapped a few pictures of the advertisements for the recently opened and the planned high-rise developments in the neighborhood.
Gentrifier: A Book Review
A trio of academics attempt an engaging and instructive experiment with their recently published book, Gentrifier (University of Toronto Press, 2017). Through their own lives, John Joe Schlichtman, Jason Patch, and Marc Lamont Hill explore and challenge the ideas and parameters of gentrification. Although the suburbs are anything but dead, an increasing number of Americans…
A Wrinkle in the Narrative: Gentrification & Small Businesses
In a few weeks on October 3, 2017, my first book, Left Bank of the Hudson: Jersey City and the Artists of 111 1st Street, will be published by Fordham University Press. To prepare for that and my accompanying book tour, I’ve been focusing on gentrification: reading about it, thinking about it, and talking about…
Gentrification & Change: My Jersey City Neighborhood
After decades of disinvestment and decline, American cities have become desirable places to work and live, especially for young adults in their 20s and 30s. Bloggers, journalists, and authors have documented this trend in cities, both large and small. Investment and development have followed this population movement into cities and anticipated its continuance. This has…
(New) Brooklyn & Jersey City: A Comparison and a Challenge
In the past fifteen or so years, Brooklyn has emerged as the grassroots cultural and creative capital of not only the New York region but arguably the entire country. Brooklyn entrepreneurs, musicians, artists, writers, and all-around boosters have crafted an attention-grabbing and marketable image of the new Brooklyn: gritty, outrageous, quirky, and weird. Simply put,…