Twin Pandemics Forum
The Twin Pandemics Forum that I attended today afternoon (from 12:10-1:50) was a very interesting collection of presentations by a very knowledgeable panel of speakers from SCU. There were two presentations in particular that I thought were interesting, but the one I found the most interesting was a presentation on the housing crisis in the Bay Area, California, and how it was in part caused by the rise of 'big tech' or the technological corporations such as Apple, Google, etc.
The presentation mentioned that even before the COVID 19 pandemic, the employment and income inequality has led to a widened range of financial statuses. This, along with eternally skyrocketing home prices and rents, has made it extremely hard for even middle income households (up to $80,000 per year) to afford housing in the Bay Area. There are even some startups such as Starcity have created co-living spaces, kind of like upscale dorms, for people in San Francisco that cannot afford the ridiculous rents in the city. The point I found most interesting, however, was how the corporate culture of the Bay Area has led to the rise of the entrepreneurial and creative individual. The presenter made a point of how corporations are using individuals' creativity and intellect for monetary gains; however, I feel that that is precisely how corporations grow – through creatively solving their consumers' problems. I do agree with her point that the Bay Area kind of idealizes a kind of business-oriented person that most other cities do not, and that this has made it a lot harder for some people to live with the fast paced, technology-based, and capitalistic community.
Overall, this presentation and the Twin Pandemics Forum gave me newfound insight into a variety of topics and pushed me to reflect upon where I stand as a member of the SCU and greater Bay Area community.
I also thought the presentation on the housing crisis was really interesting. I knew that the high costs of living in the Bay Area was a problem, but I did not know that the problem is so bad that the income inequality in California is the highest in the Bay Area. I like how there are also housing justice organizations like Homes for All and Right to the City Alliance which are trying to take action on assisting with the problem.
ReplyDeleteLike you said, the information from the presentations also made me think about my role as resident of the Bay Area. After learning about all of this, I feel I will be more attentive to the rise of corporate led housing and possible inequalities.
ReplyDeleteGlad you found this presentation so engaging. Do you think we celebrate business creativity more than the best solution to social problems, or do you think it's balanced? Keep an eye out for courses by Dr. Sarkar that may allow you to pursue topics like these even further!
ReplyDeleteThe co-living spaces definitely seem to have a lot of promise for the future beyond COVID especially. I'll have to do some more research one my own about those, thanks for the tip!
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