R D ECAPTURING EMOCRACY R D ECAPTURING EMOCRACY Neoliberalization and the Struggle for Alternative Urban Futures Mark Purcell ROUTLEDGE NEW YORK AND LONDON First published 2008 by Routledge 270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016 Simultaneously published in the UK by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2007. “To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.” Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2008 Taylor & Francis All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identifi cation and explanation without intent to infringe. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Purcell, Mark Hamilton Recapturing democracy : neoliberalization and the struggle for alternative urban futures / Mark Purcell – 1st ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references 1. Urban economics 2. Neoliberalism 3. Democracy I. Title HT321.P87 2008 330.9173´2–dc22 2007027725 ISBN 0-203-93294-3 Master e-book ISBN ISBN10: 0–415–95434–7 (hbk) ISBN10: 0–415–95435–5 (pbk) ISBN10: 0–203–93294–3 (ebk) ISBN13: 978–0–415–95434–1 (hbk) ISBN13: 978–0–415–95435–8 (pbk) ISBN13: 978–0–203–93294–0 (ebk) FOR EDWARD BENTON PURCELL, in whose footsteps I follow. I search for the right word, but there is none. C ONTENTS Illustrations ix Acknowledgements xi Introduction 1 Chapter 1 The “Terror” of Neoliberalization 7 Chapter 2 The Many Faces of Democracy 33 Chapter 3 New Democratic Attitudes 75 Chapter 4 On the Ground in Seattle and Los Angeles 109 Conclusion: You Can Hear Her Breathing 169 Notes 183 References 187 Index 205 vii I LLUSTRATIONS FIGURES 4.1 South Lake Union, showing Cascade neighborhood 113 4.2 South Lake Union in context 113 4.3 South Lake Union in the context of surrounding property values 114 4.4 Vulcan holdings in South Lake Union 114 4.5 South Lake Union, showing completed and planned development 115 4.6 Cascade Park and the Alcyone Apartments 121 4.7 Seattle waterfront showing viaduct and downtown 126 4.8 Map of property ownership on Seattle’s waterfront 132 4.9 Green–Duwamish River watershed 136 4.10 Governance structure of the Duwamish cleanup 138 4.11 South Park and Georgetown, with hotspots 143 4.12 South Park neighborhood, showing Terminal 117 site 148 4.13 The San Fernando Valley in context 158 4.14 Homeowners associations with percentage white in tract 159 4.15 Homeowners associations with median income in tract 159 4.16 Homeowners associations with City Council districts, 1990s 163 ix