South Side Story: Urban Changes in South Phoenix

What's happening in South Phoenix? Check it out in this digital ethnography inspired by my interdisciplinary urban studies course, Learning From South Phoenix, a collaborative research adventure into the dramatically changing urban culture and social space of South Phoenix, Arizona. Historically disparaged, redlined and disinvested, this Black and Latino neighborhood close to the city's core has been recently "discovered" by developers of residential subdivisions. Property valuations have increased at the highest rate in metropolitan Phoenix and services that long-eluded this former barrio/ghetto have suddenly proved viable. The new well-heeled homebuyers bring interests often at odds with those of long-term residents. It is as yet undetermined whether these latter are at risk of displacement due to the gentrification of their community. After you watch the story, check out the students' web portfolios of their research observations and analyses at http://www.southphoenixweb.com/. Created at the Center for Digital Storytelling Bootcamp in Sedona, June 2003.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• phoenix
• urban studies
• urban
• ethnography
• digital story
• gentrification
• ghetto
• barrio
• koptiuch
• social change

[ifuckingfarted]

Stupid ass bitch is retarted ass fuck I grew up on 24 street and baseline actually 24th St and Winston Dr. and my whole family is from South Phoenix Esta buta esta benche RETARDANDO LOL stop with the racism jajaja BUTA i'm all South Side Bitches and Im white Fuck this retarded narrator with her fear mongering BULL SHIT!!

[PatriotAr15]

By the way, when those people told you that South Phoenix was "not safe"... IT WASN'T! You *WERE* statistically more likely to be murdered in South Phoenix, more than other areas.

South Phoenix has gotten better, to the point that it is one of the safest areas of Phoenix... and now the "most dangerous area" is Marryvale.

[PatriotAr15]

By the way, as a FLUENT Spanish speaker, and a Spaniard by descent... Your pitiful attempt at spanish sent chills down my spine in utter disgust.

Seriously, quit the "Waaahh poor disadvantaged people, who commit crime". Revitalization is the best thing that could have happened to South Phoenix... Displacement? Sounds like a lot of criminals were displaced, seeing as now South Phoenix is actually safer than some of the more traditionally-considered "affluent" Communities.

[PatriotAr15]

I have to admit, South Phoenix has definitely improved. But I'm sick of people insinuating that people who don't want to live in a ghetto, with gang-bangers living as next-door neighbors... is a "racist".

I'd rather have a White collar black man, who owns AR15 rifles, but goes to work for L3 Communications in Glendale, or for Intel, over some poor white, gang-banger who "pretends he's black" and all into the gang-banger culture.

[BluePooSonic]

Bravo

[SSPHOENIQUERA1]

Like your story, breaking boundaries! :)

[chamba84]

I used to live in South Phoenix until late 2010, its nice out there now is not as bad as it the video makes it seem, now MaryVale its a different story, maryvale is the new south phoenix if you catch my drift.

[endless5]

so... did she ever move to southside or what?

[petion2010]

@ezekielg1989 This lady think that "white" people who told her to avoid South Phoenix are racist, well, I don't anything about Phoenix. But let me tell you something, there're areas right here in New York and the surrounding areas that I would never even consider to move. There're others that I don't drive through specially at night. Not everyone in those places are criminals, but I know that the risk of being harm is greater than other place. And that's not racism, it's common sense safety

[petion2010]

@ezekielg1989 I'm black, not African American and I don't live anywhere near Arizona, to make matters clear. However, it's funny when college educated socio-liberal white middle class try to  sugarcoat urban problem in mainly minority neighborhood. The reality is that I happen to believe that government handouts and central planning to be the main reasons for creating those socio-economic problems. When government "helps" it creates dependencies, poverty, hopelessness on generation scale.