By: Scott Seale

Scott Seale — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 13:19:06 +0000

I was born in Brooklyn, grew up in Jersey City NJ
and have been investing in NJ cities such as Jersey City, Passaic, Paterson all of which I love.
You present an interesting conundrum of remove or improve vacant houses in our inner cities.
As well as deed restrictions keeping a community poor? First, as I’ve told numerous urban mayors over the years; not every city needs a starbucks or to be gentrified, “poor” people (you did not define them) need to live somewhere. Or now the newly minted buzz of “workforce” housing rather than affordable according to area median income levels. But it’s ok to have poor folk; they need to live somewhere too. Who and what are “speculators” but simply those that are motivated to make money. These can be local people renovating older housing stock to make a profit etc; but these folks do help revitalize a neighborhood too. While I am in the urban real estate business, what I feel is needed is practial community education; real training programs for real people, not just in academia. Parenting, mental wellness and relationship seminars as well as what I call financial literacy.
It’s time to start addressing what makes the “individual” stay inside their “poor comfort zones” rather than say it’s someone or something outside themselves that they have no control over. Finally, poor does’nt have to mean poor of spirit or poor of love or poor of hope.
And those folk need to live somewhere as I did growing up with my poor folk. It does’nt mean poor is bad, poor is wrong, poor is anything, but less money than the norm? Maybe focusing on income levels, rather than educational opportunities, leaves us all poorer in the end; and is exactly what a “money focused” world continues to perpetuate.

By: Jun Young Suh

Jun Young Suh — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 18:42:49 +0000

Hi, I know this may seem rather random, but I my name is Jun Young Suh and I attend Philadelphia University. I am an Architecture student and I am
currently involved in the Ed Bacon Student Competition: Rebuild and Revive
(http://www.edbacon.org/rebuild/). It is focused on the Ludlow Neighborhood in
North Philadelphia and has the major “vacant lot problem” that you have
mentioned in 2 of your posts on your blog, “Déjà vu All Over Again˜Vacant
Houses and What Not to Do About Them” and into further detail in “They Say a
Fella Never Forgets His First Grant Proposal”. Your blog has been EXTREMELY
insightful, even more so than any article or outside readings I have read sans
“The Death and Life of Great American Cities” by Jane Jacobs. I was just wondering if I may pick your brain on a couple of topics that I have in mind.
Any sort of input would be greatly appreciated.

Comments on: Déjà vu All Over Again—Vacant Houses and What Not to Do About Them

By: Scott Seale

By: Jun Young Suh