gentrification

29 Apr 2021

The fnnch Honey Bear Controversy Explained

Honey Bear street artist fnnch has raised nearly $400,000 for charitable causes during the pandemic, yet KQED describes his work as “the Most Despised Street Art in San Francisco.” Love them or despise them, you will see those ubiquitous honey bears in now-saturation mode on bus stop shelters and towering

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24 Feb 2020

Manchester as a Case Study in Gentrification-Weaponized Art

by Xan Holbrook As anyone who has read my work can intuit, I am an Englishman. Specifically, from Manchester. The story of Manchester is one of change. Ask anyone who sells apartments or business space around here and they’d trot out “rebirth” or “reinvention” but the point remains true. A

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01 Jan 2020

The New Roaring Twenties: Welcome to the Revolution

One hundred years ago, women were just about to win the fight to ratify the 19th amendment and what followed was a cultural manifestation of that new independence. It was an opulent display bordering on hedonism, where opium and sexuality dripped as hair and dresses shortened. It was a time

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17 Oct 2019

What $50,000 Doesn’t Buy You in San Francisco

by Shayan Saalabi As I hurtled toward my college graduation earlier this year, I became consumed by a ceaseless anxiety. I would no longer be a “student” (an English major, no less, floating without aim from semester to semester) but a part of “the workforce.” You know, the unemployed part

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13 Aug 2019

LAUNDRÉ’s Cafe In The Mission Closes

Upon first seeing ‘LAUNDRÉ’ opening on Mission st a couple of years ago, I have to admit I was confused.   First by what language the name “LAUNDRÉ’ is supposed to be in.  It’s not Spanish or English, it kind of sounds French but it’s not French…the owner’s name is ‘Arianna

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17 Jun 2019

Even Vallejo is Feeling the Ravages of Gentrification

Yes, not all suburbs are Walnut Creek or Palo Alto, some are filled with people who live by modest means, and even in these less-than-posh suburban landscapes, Bay Area gentrification can rear its ugly head.

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27 Mar 2019

Edinburgh Castle Is in Trouble Because Techies Don’t Drink Enough

It looks like the famed Edinburgh Castle Pub could become the next culture casualty in San Francisco’s unrelenting development game. The dive bar, which has been around since 1959, recently showed up on real estate listings for a cool $3,995,000 (Does the $5k discount make it feel any less like

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12 Mar 2019

How You Can Help Save Vulcan Arts Lofts

Oakland’s historic artists enclave Vulcan Lofts has been an enormously influential springboard for the Bay Area arts community for more than 30 years. But more than 200 working-class artists are facing eviction, as the giant Fruitvale district live-work space has been placed on the market for a staggering $16.25 million,

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