City of Quartz: Excavating the Future in Los Angeles by Mike DavisMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have so many pages of notes and thoughts on this book, but want to keep it short, to condense it all down (if possible) however haphazard this may turn out to be.
Mike Davis has provided a historical context of the region of Los Angeles in several areas, starting with art which meant writers (noir mostly) and architects (Frank Gehry). The history of Los Angeles went back to the haciendas era of the mid-1800s, with land development, boosterism and once the city became more populous than San Francisco, a strong focus on homeowner associations, leaning into politics, slow-growth, and NIMBYism, which started way earlier than one would think (based in race and class – keep out anyone not like “us”). There is a look at power structures of politics – who runs L.A. (see some racism), the police force (very strongly against blacks), history of L.A. gangs, and the Los Angeles Catholic Church hierarchy (racism here too against Hispanics).
There is also the economics, how the city struggled having housing and downtown redevelopment as the primary growth for income, until globalization with dire results for the city and region. The finishing chapter is all about Fontana, a town that has some unique history located about 100 miles east of Los Angeles in San Bernardino County. Fontana had a much more interesting history than I expected, originating with hobby farms, then Kaiser Steel plant in WWII, and post war where Hell’s Angeles was born.
In one of those serendipitous moments an article came out this week in the L.A. Times about a company town (now largest California ghost town) developed by Kaiser Steel out at Eagle Mountain located near today’s Joshua Tree. If only I could link the article…. In any case, Davis much maligned the “Times”.
One final thought – about the writing style. Often Davis referenced something, without context, so you need to know from prior experience, although occasionally he would later explain the reference. It made for some tricky reading at times, and likely miss some of the deep meaning behind his writing. I know this book has been used in college classes, and this book does call for deep reading and study.
In one of those serendipitous moments an article came out this week in the L.A. Times about a company town (now largest California ghost town) developed by Kaiser Steel out at Eagle Mountain located near today’s Joshua Tree. If only I could link the article…. In any case, Davis much maligned the “Times”.
One final thought – about the writing style. Often Davis referenced something, without context, so you need to know from prior experience, although occasionally he would later explain the reference. It made for some tricky reading at times, and likely miss some of the deep meaning behind his writing. I know this book has been used in college classes, and this book does call for deep reading and study.
(okay, very last note) The book is now over 30 years old, I read the first edition, then later read a preface to a 2006 Verso edition. Enlightening, for its analysis on how the city has not improved significantly over a generation since the book was originally published. (Traffic, development, continue decline in manufacturing and inequality, to name a few.)
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