I just picked up (ordered to my Kindle) The Invention of Brownstone Brooklyn, an American urban history classic that’s been on my list for years. It explores how, and why, between roughly World War II and 1980 northern Brooklyn transitioned from a prime candidate for slum clearance and urban renewal to the treasured capital of New York’s, and the country’s, “new middle class” (or “creative class,” or whatever). Though the focus is on Brooklyn, it’s a story that has obvious structural parallels in many other cities, including Chicago.

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Anyway, I’m just about a third of the way through, and have no overarching conclusions, except that if this sounds remotely interesting to you, it is even more interesting in the actual reading, and here are ten notes on what I’ve read so far.

https://twitter.com/DanielKayHertz/status/803010042870034432

https://twitter.com/DanielKayHertz/status/803011313123389440

https://twitter.com/DanielKayHertz/status/803011656678838272

(See: Suburban Warriors)

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https://twitter.com/DanielKayHertz/status/803011934987685889

(See: My own previous writing on the “immaculate conception” myth.)

https://twitter.com/DanielKayHertz/status/803012261002485764

https://twitter.com/DanielKayHertz/status/803012473125269504

https://twitter.com/DanielKayHertz/status/803012663127273477

https://twitter.com/DanielKayHertz/status/803012996691726336

https://twitter.com/DanielKayHertz/status/803013334760976384

https://twitter.com/DanielKayHertz/status/803013472443400192

https://twitter.com/DanielKayHertz/status/803013782473580544