Comments on: South LA Charter Students Discover a Tale of 2 LA Neighborhoods

By: Evan

Evan — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 19:13:03 +0000

Culture Clash brought up the Neutra plan in their play Chavez Ravine.

Here’s something from Peter Dreier and Jan Breidenbach on Frank Wilkinson and public housing.
http://www.nhi.org/online/issues/145/wilkinson.html

By: richard locicero

richard locicero — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:54:25 +0000

Evan beat me to it as the Chavez Revine story goes back to the early fifties when John Entenza was promoting the “Case Study Houses” and Neutra had that apartment development. All scuttled by cries of “Socialism.” Interested history that you don’t get in schools.

By: Evan

Evan — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:01:22 +0000

If you’re interested in the architectural side of things with Neutra and Chavez Ravine, UCLA emeritus professor Thomas S. Hines wrote an article on it in a 1982 issue of the Journal of Urban History titled “Housing, Baseball, and Creeping Socialism: the Battle of Chavez Ravine, Los Angeles”. It tells the bigger story of the Dodgers, but it goes in depth into Neutra’s plans for the housing development. Unfortunately, it’s not online (unless you have access to JStor).

He wrote a book on Neutra as well, though I’m not sure if the Chavez Ravine plans are in there.

By: Listener

Listener — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:16:40 +0000

Cool kids doing cool research. Good on ‘em!

By: Woody

Woody — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:16:10 +0000

I saw the PBS special on Chavez Ravine and thought it very interesting. It will be difficult, if not impossible, for the students to prepare an accuate study or model on "what would have happened." The biggest pitfall will be letting their own prejudices get in the way of an objective study. Besides that, there are just too many complexities and variables that they can never complete factor in. If the students want to take the study further, from the past to the future, then they should analyze the impact that the Supreme Court decision in "KELO et al. v. CITY OF NEW LONDON et al" has on people who want to stay in their homes but are forced out in favor of private developers. That decision was flawed, a disgrace, and a slap in the face to private property rights. See: John McCain Condemns Kelo Decision.