Informal Sydney: regulatory capture, self-help and ‘the network’
According to Tonkiss, “Informality is not only an idiom of urbanisation, but now its first language”. On what basis does she make this claim? Do her arguments shed light on your experience of living in Sydney?
Although traditionally associated with impoverishment in the developing world, informality pervades urbanism in the world’s Global North by defining land use, the economy and social dynamics in public spaces (Tonkiss 2014). In this context, informality refers to extra-legality within the rigid frameworks of the community, space and economy. Informality brings dynamism to urban geography. Tonkiss asserts that informality transcends the North-South divide, driven by both
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Indeed, regulatory capture between property developers and governments is becoming increasingly ubiquitous with New South Wales’ urban environment (Kelly and Gilg 2000, Gurran 2007). At this point it is necessary to draw a distinction between the informal and the illegal; informality is not necessarily corrupt, although corruption is a form of informality and inarguably plays a role in shaping the urban landscape. It is also useful to draw a distinction between formal institutional interactions and the informal; codified zoning and planning systems are examples of a formal framework of development, whereas informal institutional arrangements represent dynamism within the framework, recognising that individual policymakers hold their own agendas and discretion (Lowndes 2001, Ennis, Healey et al. 2002). Keivani et al. (2001) argue that this dynamism is a product of urban planning negotiation becoming increasing personal, with direct and informal dealmaking common amongst bureaucrats (Keivani, Parsa et al. 2001). In New South Wales, many local councils meet informally with developers prior to a development application being filed so that general feedback can be provided, while also undertaking a post-application review during which further informal negotiation can occur (Lyster, Lipman …show more content…
Tonkiss considers ‘porous’ settlements - often characterised by overcrowding and poor building quality, and insecure legal tenure - to be commonplace in the developed city (Tonkiss 2014). It is clear that these characteristics are not isolated to the Global South; questions of tenure and building quality are becoming common as the urban poor are increasingly marginalised as a result of growing inequality. Inflated housing prices are synonymous with Sydney, and require very little comment; even in 2006, Beer et al. found that as many as one million Australians were living in unaffordable housing, attributing this to Australia’s broadly neoliberal economic policies (Beer, Kearins et al. 2007). Morris’ comparative study (2009) of housing affordability and tenure exemplified the issue; although respondents living in public housing would generally be considered to be living ‘at the margin’, it was those in the private rental market that indicate the greatest insecurity of tenure and financial anxiety (Morris
Gentrification is defined as the process by which the wealthy or upper middle class uproot poorer individuals through the renovation and rebuilding of poor neighborhoods. Many long-term residents find themselves no longer able to afford to live in an area, where the rent and property values are increasing. Gentrification is a very controversial topic, revealing both the positive and negative aspects of the process. Some of the more desirable outcomes include reduced crime rate, increased economic activity, and the building of new infrastructures. However, it is debated whether the negatives overwhelm the positive. An increase in the number of evictions of low-income families, often racial minorities can lead to a decline of diversity
Another noteworthy urban sociologist that’s invested significant research and time into gentrification is Saskia Sassen, among other topical analysis including globalization. “Gentrification was initially understood as the rehabilitation of decaying and low-income housing by middle-class outsiders in central cities. In the late 1970s a broader conceptualization of the process began to emerge, and by the early 1980s new scholarship had developed a far broader meaning of gentrification, linking it with processes of spatial, economic and social restructuring.” (Sassen 1991: 255). This account is an extract from an influential book that extended beyond the field of gentrification and summarizes its basis proficiently. In more recent and localized media, the release the documentary-film ‘In Jackson Heights’ portrayed the devastation that gentrification is causing as it plagues through Jackson Heights, Queens. One of the local businessmen interviewed is shop owner Don Tobon, stating "We live in a
Smith, D. A. (1996). Third World Cities in Global Perspective: The Political Economy of Uneven Urbanization. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press Inc.
With increasing housing prices, it is not bearable to indigenous residents. The author reiterates that many residents of gentrifying neighborhoods fear the possibility of being displaced and are unsettled by the feeling of being pushed out. The issue of displacement in gentrifying areas is one of the biggest issues implied in this chapter. This relates a lot to my research because of the fact one of the main concerns mentioned in my research is figuring out what occurs to residents who are displaced from their homes because they are not able to afford their rent? There must be a certain mechanism that tap the wealth created by gentrification for the benefit of indigenous and poorer residents who may wish to one day live in a neighborhood.
The lack of available social housing is mainly due to stock levels steadily diminishing each year since 1980, after tenants bought nearly half-a-million council houses under the ‘Right to Buy’ scheme. This coupled with the decline in house building; which is currently at its lowest level since 1946, has brought about a shameful lack of affordable public housing (Turffrey, 2010).
This moves away from the ‘traditional’ definition of homelessness, which can be referred to as primary homelessness, or homeless without shelter. A broader definition is now considered, which also includes secondary homelessness, moving frequently between forms of temporary accommodation, and tertiary homeless ness, living long term in accommodation that falls below community standards for housing (Chamberlain & MacKenzie 2008). The inclusion of varying types of homelessness highlights the understanding of homelessness to be considered without a ‘home’, not just without a ‘roof’ (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2011).
Johns, G. (2012). Paved with good intentions: The road home and the irreducible minimum of homelessness in Australia. Agenda : A Journal of Policy Analysis and Reform, 19(1), 41-59. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/docview/1032658396?accountid=14543
Mike Davis, in his book Planet of Slums, discusses the Third World and the impact globalization and industrialization has on both urban and poverty-stricken cities. The growth of urbanization has not only grown the middle class wealth, but has also created an urban poor who live side by side in the city of the wealthy. Planet of Slums reveals astonishing facts about the lives of people who live in poverty, and how globalization and the increase of wealth for the urban class only hurts those people, and that the increase of slums every year may eventually lead to the downfall of the earth. “Since 1970 the larger share of world urban population growth has been absorbed by slum communities on the periphery of Third World cities” (Davis 37). Specifically, this “Planet of Slums” Davis discusses both affects and is affected by informal labor and migration, ecological and industrial consequences, and global inequalities, and it seems this trend of urbanization no longer coincides with economic growth, thus reinforcing the notion that the wealth gap only widens, as the rich gain money and the poor lose money.
Compare and contrast the ways in which housing inequalities are discussed from the perspectives of social policy and criminology, and economics (TMA 02)
“gentrification as an ugly product of greed”. Yet these perspectives miss the point. Gentrification is a byproduct of mankind's continuing interest in advancing the notion that one group is more superior to another and worthy of capitalistic consumption with little regard to social consciousness. It is elitism with the utmost and exclusionary politics to the core. This has been a constant theme of mankind taking or depleting space for personal gain.
In discussions of Gentrification, one controversial issue has been with displacement. Gentrification is the process of renovating and repairing a house or district so that it complies to wealthier residents (Biro, 2007, p. 42). Displacement is a result of gentrification, and is a major issue for lower income families. Gentrification is causing lower-income residents to move out of their apartments because they’re being displaced by upper class residents who can afford high rent prices and more successful businesses. Throughout out the essay, I will discuss how gentrification affects lower income residents and how it results in displacement. Then I will follow on by discussing some positive and negative effects that take place because of Gentrification.
In this essay I will be discussing the issue of push and pull factors of Sydney`s climate and environment. Sydney has long been hospitable city for people from Australia and around the world. Some people come here to visit, and some stay forever. Furthermore, people move here to find work and accommodation.
Thus, the reality of places is constructed through social actions including both individual and collective efforts, through informal associations and institutions of government and the economy, rather than through the inherent qualities (Logan and Lolotch, 1987, p.45). Hence, the conclusion is well constructed. The authors effectively use 'compare and contrast' structure and 'cause and effect' structure in the chapter to build and enhance their argument. They also back up their arguments citing various researchers throughout the chapter, in almost all the sections, making their argument more persuasive. Logan and Molotch enhances the
Simply put the informal economy refers to those economic activities that are neither taxed nor monitored by a government and are therefore not included in that government's Gross National Product (GNP) However in literature this phenomenon is discussed using different concepts such as informal, unofficial, irregular, parallel second underground, underground, grey markets, subterranean, hidden, invisible, unrecorded, shadow, ghosting and moonlighting. Illegal or criminal activities such as drug dealing or prostitution have been excluded from this definition, as have exchanges of unpaid work. My paper is therefore prepared with this omission in mind.
Many synonyms have been used in literature to refer to informal settlements. These include spontaneous, irregular, unplanned, marginal and squatter settlements. Some literatures have used the terms slums and informal settlements interchangeably (UNHSP, 2003). While a clear definition for informal settlements is still difficult to find (ibid), some organisations have given descriptions of informal settlements....