David Madden
Sociologist at LSE studying cities, housing, and social theory. Co-author, In Defense of Housing. Former New Yorker. I reserve the right to remain cranky.
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Gig Economy Company Launches Uber, But for Evicting People
A company called Civvl says evicting people is the "FASTEST GROWING MONEY MAKING GIG DUE TO COVID-19."
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David Madden
Someone looked at the sheer misery being produced by a housing system in crisis and thought, "wait a second--there's money to be made by offering immiseration services"
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Professor David Graeber
We are shocked and saddened to learn of David Graeber’s death. David was a hugely influential anthropologist, political activist and public intellectual. He was a person with so many facets t…
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David Madden
"He was what an anthropologist should be—a messenger of other possibilities." Thoughtful message from Laura Bear, @LSEAnthropology Head of Department, about the shocking death of David Graeber. And in this instance, you should read the comments.
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The True Colors of America’s Political Spectrum Are Gray and Green
Think of the gray sidewalks of Democratic-leaning New York City, or the endless stretch of green fields in Kansas.
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David Madden
This is a perfect example of the ecological fallacy. Just because you *can* create an impressive-looking data visualisation doesn't mean that you *should*.
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Los Angeles: sheriff's deputies fatally shoot Black man stopped for riding bicycle
Police say they saw man riding bicycle in violation of vehicle codes, and a chase and fight ensued resulting in the man’s death
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David Madden
Horrifying confirmation of the theory that white people on bikes are lauded as heroes while Black people on bikes are targeted as problems
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N.Y.C. Tenants Say They Were Tricked Into Appearing in R.N.C. Video
“I am not a Trump supporter,” one of the tenants said, adding that she was furious that her interview with a government official was used for the convention.
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David Madden
Trumpists are happy to cynically and dishonestly exploit discontent with NYCHA as a political weapon while doing absolutely nothing to actually help the housing authority or its residents
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Luxury Homes Tie Chinese Communist Elite to Hong Kong’s Fate
Three top leaders of China’s Communist Party have relatives who own assets in Hong Kong, including more than $51 million in luxury real estate, a New York Times investigation shows.
The Teenage Tinkerer Behind an E-Bike Revolution
Mike Radenbaugh dreamed up Rad Power Bikes over a decade ago in his family’s garage and now sets the pace for affordable battery-propelled bicycles.
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David Madden
Autonomous vehicles are yesterday's image of the urban transportation of the future. The kind of bikes that this guy builds are the type of thing cities should be encouraging.
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Competition launched for local family to build their own home in first for Hackney Council
Competition launched for local family to build their own home in first for Hackney Council
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1 tweets
Local households will be able to bid to build their own home on a small parcel of Council land in an innovative challenge, a first for Hackney Council.
The Self-Build Challenge will give individuals and families in Hackney the chance to submit an...
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David Madden
Grand Designs Hackney?
(This is actually quite cool; and if this land is truly not usable by the Council for housing, it's definitely better than selling it to corporate developers. And it's good that the Council has an equity stake in what gets built)
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'Jaw-dropping' world fertility rate crash expected
Nearly every country will see their populations fall as the world has fewer babies.
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David Madden
This piece asks "Who pays tax in a massively aged world? Who pays for healthcare for the elderly? Who looks after the elderly? Will people still be able to retire from work?" But these are all questions about power and inequality, not fertility per se.
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Sleeping Outside in a Pandemic: Vulnerable Renters Face Evictions
As the coronavirus prevents people from going back to work and pay their rent, evictions have begun, often targeting vulnerable people such as unauthorized immigrants.
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David Madden
“28 million households are at risk of being turned out onto the streets because of job losses tied to the pandemic.” EVERYONE PREDICTED THIS. This is the predictable outcome of pausing work but not rent.
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How the super rich conquered London
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David Madden
“the rich need the city like an astronaut needs a spacesuit”—and therefore cities should tax the daylights out of them. Great piece by @qurbanist
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Argentina cordons off virus-hit slum as critics decry 'ghettoes for poor people'
Drastic measures are being taken to contain the coronavirus in the Villa Azul area of Buenos Aires which has emerged as a hotspot
Google affiliate Sidewalk Labs abandons Toronto smart-city project
Decision follows more than two years of controversy over the development’s origins, overreach and privacy and financial implications
‘It’s being built on our blood’: the true cost of Saudi Arabia’s $500bn megacity
It has been billed as humanity’s next chapter, but beneath the glitzy veneer of Neom lies a story of threats, forced eviction and bloodshed
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David Madden
The language used to describe 'smart', exclusionary, discplacement-inducing digital-feudal urban megaprojects like Neom in Saudi Arabia needs to change. They're not part of 'the future'. They're relics. They need to be overcome and relegated to the past.
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America’s Biggest Cities Were Already Losing Their Allure. What Happens Next?
The urge among some residents to leave because of the coronavirus may be temporary. But it follows a deeper, more powerful demographic trend.
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David Madden
The way this debate is framed is not helpful. Urban life isn't the problem. Urban inequality is.
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New York Activists Announce ‘Massive Wave’ Of Rent Strikes Starting May 1
The effort aims to pressure Gov. Andrew Cuomo to cancel rent for the duration of the coronavirus crisis, which has decimated the state’s economy.
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David Madden
“Working-class New Yorkers are organizing a ‘massive wave’ of rent strikes starting May 1... ‘Many tenants have no ability to pay rent, and landlords can’t collect rent from tenants who are broke’”
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Cramped living conditions may be accelerating UK spread of coronavirus
Analysis shows Covid-19 disproportionately affecting those living in ‘the equivalent of Victorian slums’
Hackney Council wants to spend £10m a year buying back old social homes lost to Right to Buy | Hackney, Stoke Newington and Shoreditch News | Hackney Gazette
Town hall chiefs want to start buying back homes lost to Right to Buy for use as
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David Madden
Just in case you needed a clearer illustration of how British housing policy is utterly absurd: a London borough wants to start buying back council housing that it's forced to sell at a discount. There should be a right to housing, not a right to buy.
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The ‘street food’ swindle: fake diversity, privatised space – and such small portions! | Dan Hancox
Gentrified food halls are the latest culinary phenomenon – but their unstoppable spread has more to do with rents than ramen, says culture writer Dan Hancox
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David Madden
Glad that someone is thinking critically about the proliferation of not-particularly-awesome 'street food' markets in London and that that person is @danhancox. I think a lot of these markets are place-holders while developers find more profitbale uses.
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Matthew Chamberlain proposes Street Tree Pods to alleviate London's housing crisis
University of Westminster graduate Matthew Chamberlain has designed a sustainable treehouse to provide starter homes on London's streets, while also tackling the city's high pollution levels.
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David Madden
People! I'm not gonna include 👏🏾 or write this in all caps, but feel free to mentally insert them: the housing problem is not, in essence, an architectural problem, and will not be solved by architectural solutions!
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