You know that lot. The one on the corner with the busted fence and weeds so tall they look like they’re staging a rebellion. You’ve walked past it thinking, “Somebody should plant something there.” Well, that somebody is you. I’ve helped start three gardens in spots just like that—places where the soil was questionable, the … Read moreHow to Turn a Vacant Lot into a Community Garden (Without Losing Your Mind)
I’ve lived in this community for over thirty years. I’ve seen corner shops open and close, watched empty lots turn into car parks, and stood by as the old community hall on Maple Street was sold to a developer who promised to keep it public—then turned it into private offices. The pattern is always the … Read moreWhy Our Neighbourhoods Need Spaces We Truly Own
I’ve lived in the same neighbourhood for over twenty years. I’ve watched corner shops turn into chain stores, seen the local pub become a gastropub that nobody from around here can afford, and stood by as the community hall was sold off to a developer who promised “mixed-use revitalization” and delivered luxury flats with a … Read moreWhy We Need More Community-Owned Spaces
I still remember the first time I walked into a place that felt like it belonged to us. Not a shiny new building with a plaque out front. It was a tired corner shop on a street the city had stopped thinking about years ago. The floorboards complained when you stepped on them. Paint was … Read moreThe Quiet Fight for Our Own Spaces
The Problem With Gentrification Framed as Revitalization By Patricia Ndlovu I’ve lived in the same neighborhood for over forty years. My mother raised me in a two-bedroom apartment on a block where you knew every neighbor’s name, where children played double-dutch on the sidewalk, and where the corner store owner would let you take a … Read moreThe Problem With Gentrification Framed as Revitalization
The Language of Loss Disguised as Progress Walk through any historically Black or immigrant neighborhood in America right now, and you’ll hear the same tired words. “Revitalization.” “Renewal.” “Renaissance.” Developers, city planners, real estate agents—they all use them. They gesture toward the new coffee shop with the reclaimed wood counters, the freshly striped bike lanes, … Read moreWhen ‘Revitalization’ Means Erasure: The Gentrification Paradox in Our Neighborhoods
I can still smell the bread. Not the sourdough they sell now for eight dollars a loaf, but the real stuff—yeasty, warm, spilling out of Mr. Okonkwo’s bakery on the corner of 14th and Douglas. That smell was our alarm clock. It pulled you out of bed and onto the street, where you’d find half … Read moreWhen ‘Revitalization’ Means Erasure: The Quiet Violence of Gentrification
I’ve lived on this same block in Bulawayo for twenty-three years now. In that time, I’ve watched friendships bloom over shared pots of isitshwala and then crumble over boundary walls. I saw a man stop greeting his neighbour for ten years straight—all because a goat got into his spinach bed. But I also saw that … Read moreTrust on Uneven Ground: A Straight-Talking Guide for Neighbors Who Have Every Reason to Hold Back
One Saturday morning in late spring, I stood on the edge of a vacant lot two blocks from my house and watched a crew of neighbors break ground. No developers. No city officials. Just parents, a few retirees, and a handful of teenagers who had spent months asking the same question: Why is the closest … Read moreWhy Food Justice Is a Neighborhood Issue
How to Build Trust Between Neighbors Who Have Reasons Not to Trust I’ve lived on the same block in a small town for 18 years. I know what it’s like when a street feels split. Some of us nod hello, some look away. And yes, there are reasons for that. A forgotten argument, a loud … Read moreHow to Build Trust Between Neighbors Who Have Reasons Not to Trust