Monthly Archives: June 2020

CUSS Digest (June 2020)

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Dear all,

I am thinking of everyone and looking forward to coming together – virtually – in August with those who are able to participate in the remote ASA conference.  It is a crucial moment for urbanists to be in conversation with one another as our current context brings to light and exacerbates longstanding inequalities and injustice.  Racist state violence, police brutality, and protest suppression are pressing urban concerns that should be central to conversations within our subfield.  I will be in touch in coming weeks about plans for virtual section activities during the conference, and welcome emails (my address is below) from section members about how, as a section, we can elevate these concerns and conversations within and beyond our scholarship and meetings.

Below, you will find our June Digest.  Contents include:

A) Section Election Results

B) Section Award Winners

Best,

Japonica

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Interview with 2019 Graduate Student Paper Award winner, Zachary Hyde

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Zachary Hyde, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of British Columbia, was the winner of the 2019 Graduate Student Paper Award. Zach’s innovative research agenda brings work in relational economic sociology to bear on longstanding questions in urban sociology. We reached out to ask him to discuss his research, and we’re including his responses below. Thanks to Zach for participating in our interview series!

What were the main findings of your paper?

My paper “Giving Back to Get Ahead” focuses on the popular urban policy of density bonusing, where private development companies provide affordable housing and other social services in exchange for extra density. The main finding of the paper is that density bonusing forms a paradox, whereby “giving back” social services simultaneously increases developer profits. Through contributing services developers enhance their symbolic capital via gift-giving, which can be traded in for economic advantages in future dealings with local governments.

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