Sometimes the most effective way of opening people’s eyes to a large systemic issue is by looking closely at one specific example. That’s what the new podcast series, Inside The Bricks: My Changing Neighborhood, launched by Ideastream Public Media, is doing as it looks at how gentrification changes the lives of a neighborhood’s residents. Ideastream’s Senior Producer of Community Storytelling Justin Glanville hosted the series, which debuted September 14 and posts a new episode each Wednesday.
Glanville is a resident of the Gordon Square neighborhood, known for its diversity as well as for being on the cutting edge of the arts, often an early warning of gentrification. And its property values have more than doubled in a mere six years; those blocky “Lego” town homes and apartment buildings are popping up like mushrooms. The show will interview local residents, leaders and national experts to learn whether such a neighborhood can retain its diversity.
To listen to the show, go to ideastream.org/insidethebricks.