Bullish on College Towns
Financial guru Jennifer Openshaw suggests college-town real estate as the next hot investment opportunity. “[S]upply — and the quality of homes in the area — is usually constrained by strict zoning and growth controls, common in most college towns,” she explains. But watch out for areas where students might actually have a choice in where they live; Openshaw counsels aspiring slumlords to “avoid urban areas, like Boston or Berkeley, Calif., as these markets are too complex and have lots of housing alternatives.”
“avoid urban areas”…At least she didn’t use the word “Negroes”.
posted by David Boyle on February 6th, 2007 at 9:45 pmHeh, I don’t think she meant “urban areas” in that euphemistic sense; I think she meant it in the euphemistic sense of “areas where NIMBYs haven’t been able to create the ideal market for slumlords.”
posted by ann arbor is overrated on February 6th, 2007 at 10:04 pmAAIO, I agree with David. “Urban” is code word for African Americans in the same way “We moved to X because the schools are good” is code for moving to another area to get away from low SES and/or minority children and their families.
posted by Kris W. on February 6th, 2007 at 10:50 pmThe evidence is overwhelming. Her use of “urban” invoking large metropolitan areas is clearly a code word for race, particularly when she’s so sloppy with other ideas like “growth” and “demand” which are also clearly code words for something other than “expansion” and “consumer desire for a product or service.”
posted by Dale on February 7th, 2007 at 12:04 amI may have been partially snarking, but even if J. Op didn’t mean it re “Negroes” directly–and I didn’t say she did–, clearly, there’s some need for sensitivity when using phrases like “avoid urban areas”, at least to avoid even the appearance of boorishness, bigotry, or abusiveness. (As I imagine Kris W. might agree)
posted by David Boyle on February 7th, 2007 at 1:22 amI agree that, in many circumstances, “avoid urban areas” is a euphamism for “you’ll want to stay away from the black people,” but considering that she specifically mentions Berkeley, it’s probably not the meaning in this particular case. My impression is that Berkeley has a much higher east asian population than African American. Funny, though, how her emphasis is on the lack of regulation and choice in the market, instead of the actual return on investments. Truly, it’s a public service, ensuring that the next generation of aspiring college grads goes through that time-honored rite of passage: living in a rat-infested, slumlord-owned s***-hole.
posted by Beth on February 7th, 2007 at 12:22 pmBut Berkeley is right next to Oakland. Combine the two cities, and you have 50,000 more African-Americans than Asians.
posted by Larry Kestenbaum on February 7th, 2007 at 3:10 pmBoston’s not exactly known for its huge black population either…
posted by James on February 7th, 2007 at 4:50 pmI dunno… Boston’s black population is 25%, compared with AA’s 8%.
posted by Anna on February 7th, 2007 at 7:37 pmLet’s all take a ride on the Euphemism Treadmill, kids.
posted by Ben Yates on February 10th, 2007 at 1:20 amAnn Arbor Parks to parking lots?
We are writing about Friday’s AA news article in which counsel members proposed to turn our various parks in and around the city Ann Arbor into temporary parking lots for University of Michigan football games. It is this sort of flagrant disregard of our natural resources that showcases how a majority counsel members no longer reflect the core values of Ann Arbor residents.
The main reasons for having parks within the city is to provide neighbors and friends with an opportunity to meet up and to take a break from daily rigors of life. Whether it’s walking with a trusted pet or cavorting with the kids; the parks are for the people of Ann Arbor not out of town cars!
We pay for this luxury and park maintenance with our tax dollars! We have no interest in having to explain to our son and his friends that the reason we can’t go play in the park is that they’re filled with cars!
Also, for years Ann Arbor residents have asked for dog parks, facilities set aside for dogs and their owners to exercise and play off-leash in a controlled environment. It would behoove counsel members to discuss proposals to enhance the parks rather then turning them into parking lots.
Sincerely,
posted by futball fo bo on March 10th, 2007 at 8:41 am