The Vancouver Sun reports that downtown Vancouver’s Hudson’s Bay Department Store, a unit in what has been one of Canada’s strongest national retailers is “mostly empty” and needs working elevators and escalators. But things may be worse in the US. Downtown department store closures have occurred in many US metropolitan areas, and especially on the West Coast. Seattle’s Bon Marche has now been closed two decades, Portland’s Meier and Frank, nearly a decade later and Macy’s Union Square in San Francisco is now slated for closing in increasingly desolate San Francisco.
In the summer of 2022, just freshly out of confinement from the coronavirus pandemic, I, along with two hundred others, boarded a plane to Israel, where I would spend the following six weeks of my summer vacation. The trip served as a transitional period for my time spent at summer camp, between being a camper and being a counselor.
Even though I didn’t get the full experience of Israel due to covid safety restrictions, I found my life permanently altered from my stay in the Holy Land. First of all, as a Jew who spent much of my life in a mostly Christian area, the experience of being surrounded by Jewish people who knew and understood the parts about myself that I used to have to explain to everyone around me was unlike anything I can even describe.
The summer was hot and dry and full of music and dancing in the streets. We toured museum after museum, engaged in dialogue with Bedouins, Palestinians, Circassians, and more, and explored the entire country, from the Lebanon border all the way down to the sprawling sand dunes of the Negev. I came home to California five shades tanner and eager to speak Hebrew again.
I carry that summer with me, and still regard my trip to Israel as one of the prime factors in my development into a young Jewish adult. Upon my return, I was so excited to share my experiences with just about everyone I knew. My peers were fascinated with my time spent in the Middle East. They asked questions, sometimes even about the long standing Palestinian conflict, to which I shared my view. Their responses were positive and understanding.
Just a couple years later, after one of the largest tragedies Israel had ever seen, the same people that I had spent so much time educating about Israel went radio silent or, in many cases turned hostile. Following October 7th, I noticed those same people posting on Instagram, saying things like “Globalize the Intifada,” and “From the River to The Sea, Palestine Will Be Free.” What hit me the hardest was the fact that a great deal of these people posting were friends from high school and peers from my college.
At Sarah Lawrence, my university, culture influences political stance. The students tend almost automatically to latch on to a principle of left-wing ideology. The college's most recent fad happens to be Palestinian liberation. In fact, the student body of Sarah Lawrence is so obsessed with this idea of Palestinian liberation that even the school’s one Jewish organization, Hillel, claims that they are not affiliated with Israel, providing Zionist Jews with no community whatsoever.
This isn’t just a student-organized mindset: some professors appear to be just as invested in Palestine, even to the point of excusing the atrocities committed by Hamas. I share their interest and concern for the well-being and safety of the Palestinian people, but Sarah Lawrence, in my opinion, has crossed the line. I knew what I signed up for when I committed to Sarah Lawrence; The school is notoriously radically liberal and not much of a change from my performing arts high school in California. That being said, I still expected an inclusive environment to be fostered by my professors.
The main issues began on October 9th, just two days after Hamas’s attack on Israel. Soon after sitting down for my Sociological Theory seminar, my young professor declared that class that day was optional, and that we were free to leave if we were affected by the events of the past weekend. I, naturally, assumed that my professor was referring to the terrorist attacks, and for the first time since the attacks happened, I felt seen and heard on campus. She then, however, followed with another statement. “In this class,” she proclaimed, “we will not tolerate any colonialist dialogue.” It took me a second to register what she was saying. When I did, I promptly gathered my belongings and left the classroom. At this point, Israel had not even retaliated. I was left wondering- what could she possibly mean?
Later that week, when I looked at the syllabus for the class, I saw that a whole unit dedicated to anti-Zionist rhetoric and Palestinian liberation had been added. To this day, I still wonder what that unit had to do with sociological theory and the works of Marx, Weber, and Durkheim. From then on, my professor would frequently remind us of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) meetings (she was the new faculty advisor) and for an extra credit assignment, had us write, specifically, about Palestinian liberation.
My school is now littered in white people wearing keffiyehs. Just recently, there was a drag show for Palestine. Unlike like other schools in which there are Jewish populations and organizations advocating for freedom for Palestine through the eradication Hamas and their goal of obliterating Israel, at Sarah Lawrence, the only safe spaces I’ve made are the ones I carve for myself. I cannot name a single attempt that has been made to create protections for Jewish students.
There seems to be a misconception that Jewish Zionists do not wish for the safety of the Palestinian people. A main tenant of the Jewish religion is to treat all people with dignity, respect, and kindness. Jewish people all over the world are then left questioning why so many, including those we saw as friends, ignore the crimes Hamas is committing and the damage being perpetrated, in their name, among their own people.
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Hannah Kotkin is a sophomore at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY.
Could the fate of an entire election hinge on the unsung heroes of American politics, the third-party candidates? Join us as Professor John Compton and Michael Barone unpack that very question, offering an electrifying discourse on the stirrings within third-party politics that could tip the scales in a nail-biter of an election.
The Center for Demographics and Policy focuses on research and analysis of global, national, and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time. It involves Chapman students in demographic research under the supervision of the Center’s senior staff.
Students work with the Center’s director and engage in research that will serve them well as they look to develop their careers in business, the social sciences, and the arts. Students also have access to our advisory board, which includes distinguished Chapman faculty and major demographic scholars from across the country and the world.
For additional information, please contact Mahnaz Asghari, sponsored project analyst for the Office of Research, at (714) 744-7635 or asghari@chapman.edu.
This show is presented by the Chapman Center for Demographics and Policy, which focuses on research and analysis of global, national and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time.
A recent University of Toronto paper by Jeff Allen and Steven Farber examines work access as measured in travel time to get to work. The “30-minute job access” is a rounded-up average in all heavily populated regions in Canada.
Figure 1 below shows the share of the major minorities living in either the urban core or the suburbs of the 51 metropolitan areas included in the City Sector Model. It is based on 2015-2019 zip code data and the urban form as defined in Figure 2 (which is independent of municipal boundaries).
Today, a majority of each large minority have lives in the suburbs and exurbs, ranging from African-Americans (76.3%), to Asians (80.5%) to Hispanics (83.3%). These figures nearly equal the 90% of White-Non-Hispanics live in the suburbs and exurbs (Figure 1). This is nothing new. By 2000, more than two-thirds of African-Americans lived in the suburbs and exurbs and more than three quarters of Asians and Hispanics. The suburban exodus, often called “white flight” has long since evolved into “Black flight,” “Asian flight” and “Hispanic flight.”
The Demographia City Sector Model uses improved data from the American Community Survey, which made it possible to better separate urban core, suburban and exurban life styles and functions within metropolitan areas. Before, nearly all urban core, suburban and exurban analysis within metropolitan areas was based on municipal or county jurisdictions. The problem was, however, that nearly all new development since World War II had been lower density, principally single-family houses, while the automobile quickly replaced much of the commuting that had been previously been on transit or on foot. For the most part, the only core municipalities that annexed substantially have grown since World War II, and that growth has been suburban in character.
The Demographia City Sector Model classifies zip code (postal code) residents based principally on population densities and extent of automobile commuting into five functional classifications, which are indicated in Figure 9. The intent is to separate the pre-World War II portion of metropolitan areas from the suburban development that has dominated since that time.
Unlock the mystery behind why securing a roof over your head has become an arduous quest in today’s Western civilization. This episode promises to gift you with the perspectives of housing experts Joel Farkas, Wendell Cox, and Karla López del Río, as we navigate through the complexities of local and state regulations, fees, and the polarizing anti-sprawl policies that contribute to the housing unaffordability crisis. It’s a discussion that extends beyond numbers and policies, touching the lives of middle-class families and reshaping the demographic landscape of entire states.
The Center for Demographics and Policy focuses on research and analysis of global, national, and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time. It involves Chapman students in demographic research under the supervision of the Center’s senior staff.
Students work with the Center’s director and engage in research that will serve them well as they look to develop their careers in business, the social sciences, and the arts. Students also have access to our advisory board, which includes distinguished Chapman faculty and major demographic scholars from across the country and the world.
For additional information, please contact Mahnaz Asghari, sponsored project analyst for the Office of Research, at (714) 744-7635 or asghari@chapman.edu.
This show is presented by the Chapman Center for Demographics and Policy, which focuses on research and analysis of global, national and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time.
From the early 2010s to 2022, net domestic migration in the United States has evolved strongly toward less populated areas. In 2022, the annual net domestic migration has been reduced in all population categories in metropolitan areas with 1,000,000 or more population (2010). Further net domestic migration has increased in all population categories with less than 1,000,000 population (Figure).
Note: CBSAs include all metropolitan and micropolitan areas.
Uncover the unforeseen ways foreign policy sways the American electoral tide with us, Marshall Toplansky and Joel Kotkin, as we host a conversation that traverses the global political landscape and its potential shocks to the 2024 elections. With luminaries like former U.S. Ambassador to Italy Ron Spogli and Asia Pacific expert Robert Koepp sharing their insights, this episode is a deep dive into the geopolitical undercurrents—from NATO's strategies to the East Asian power balance. We navigate the complex web of international relations that could very well dictate the next occupant of the White House.
The Center for Demographics and Policy focuses on research and analysis of global, national, and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time. It involves Chapman students in demographic research under the supervision of the Center’s senior staff.
Students work with the Center’s director and engage in research that will serve them well as they look to develop their careers in business, the social sciences, and the arts. Students also have access to our advisory board, which includes distinguished Chapman faculty and major demographic scholars from across the country and the world.
For additional information, please contact Mahnaz Asghari, sponsored project analyst for the Office of Research, at (714) 744-7635 or asghari@chapman.edu.
This show is presented by the Chapman Center for Demographics and Policy, which focuses on research and analysis of global, national and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time.
The Biden administration's Realtor subsidy scheme is the latest flag, but the politics of "affordable housing" cut across normal partisan bounds. A New York Times article examines how opposition to single-family zoning attracts left and right. But, my post asks, what about the broad middle of homeowners? https://timwferguson.com/2024/03/10/yimby-can-populate-conference-halls/
Unlock the secrets of a holistic education that goes beyond academics as we engage with Stephannie Saroki de Garcia, Soledad Ursua, and Tony Lemus, dissecting the profound effects of Catholic school environments on underserved communities in California. Discover how these institutions foster discipline, character development, and purpose, equipping students with the tools to succeed in life. Our conversation with these insightful guests reveals personal success stories and the critical role of parental involvement, along with an educational approach that safeguards against the pitfalls that often undermine public schooling.
The Center for Demographics and Policy focuses on research and analysis of global, national, and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time. It involves Chapman students in demographic research under the supervision of the Center’s senior staff.
Students work with the Center’s director and engage in research that will serve them well as they look to develop their careers in business, the social sciences, and the arts. Students also have access to our advisory board, which includes distinguished Chapman faculty and major demographic scholars from across the country and the world.
For additional information, please contact Mahnaz Asghari, sponsored project analyst for the Office of Research, at (714) 744-7635 or asghari@chapman.edu.
This show is presented by the Chapman Center for Demographics and Policy, which focuses on research and analysis of global, national and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time.
Infinite Suburbia is the culmination of the MIT Norman B. Leventhal Center for Advanced Urbanism's yearlong study of the future of suburban development. Find out more.
Authored by Aaron Renn, The Urban State of Mind: Meditations on the City is the first Urbanophile e-book, featuring provocative essays on the key issues facing our cities, including innovation, talent attraction and brain drain, global soft power, sustainability, economic development, and localism.
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