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OverVIEW
line between those who have the means to access what, in another, less technical parlance than ours, is commonly called the American Dream, and those who do not.
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This states the problem rather starkly. Although we all recognize that, in fact, access to housing in suburbia, as elsewhere, is conditioned by all manner of shades of gray, it does remind us that we are dealing with a systemic issue that cannot be papered over with short-term fixes. It also suggests that lurking behind these figures are cultural values that often go unquestioned. That is why we have attempted to portray, through these eight case studies, the general crisis through its specific, local manifestations. In each case, under the heading “The Publicness of the Private,” our team of researchers will briefly describe the involvement of the public sector in private residential and commercial development. Moving to “The Privateness of the Public,” they will then show how municipalities have been developing plans for private-sector development on specific sites, many of which are publicly owned. Finally, each will sketch “The Publicness of the Public” by highlighting a few of the local demographics used in the analysis that led us to these case studies, in an effort to reveal who the public actually is in these areas and how that public actually lives.
Diotima takes a seat in the front row of the auditorium as Speaker 1 takes the podium. The lights are dimmed. A powerpoint presentation loads on the screen.