These readings mull around rights, privileges, responsibilities
and realities. What are the benefits of citizenship vs nationality? What formal
rights of citizenship are available to those of informal status? This seems
absurd in a U.S. context! Unless I’m mistaken in my understanding and value of
formal citizenship rights, equal legal protection, political participation, economic
opportunity, education, public services and public support are not available to
undocumented (and much to documented) immigrants. These go further to somewhat
define identity and much of the formal construct. Enclaves and shadow cities
are only perhaps less devalued because of their complete marginalization and independence
from formal structures. Yet formal citizens’ rights are suppressed and populations
marginalized (public housing discussion in Hackworth).
While growing up in a poor community increases risks of
poverty and those in non-poor communities benefit from better environment/resources,
does the dispersing of individual poor into non-poor communities disrupt potential
community beneficial activism? Are the issues with the design of public housing
(other than stigma), unique to public housing?
Is the current dialog on immigration reform a snake in the
grass similar to HOPE VI? Is it sidestepping a conflict or tripping a potential
movement? Is this a political form of the spatial/temporal fix?
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