The Diaspora of Belonging: Gentrification, Systems of Oppression, and Why Our Cities Are Out of Place

We know racism is entrenched in our systems and institutions, but what about our cities and public spaces?

In The Diaspora of Belonging, author Jay Sharma explores the history of systemic racism, structural oppression, and state-sanctioned discrimination and injustice as it relates to urban settings. Drawing on 12 unique cities across the country, Sharma demonstrates how calculated decisions regarding our cities are, and how those in power have weaponized the built environment for decades.

Covering topics that range from residential segregation, zoning, suburbanization, and urban renewal to ghettoization, immigration, deindustrialization, the tech industry, and more, The Diaspora of Belonging makes it ardently clear that America has always neglected to make inclusive spaces. Perhaps more importantly, it dissects the collective disdain for gentrification, and highlights the pervasiveness of poverty in America.

Explore the connections between justice and design, economics and identity, and segregation and community in The Diaspora of Belonging. Let it challenge and inspire you to make our cities and neighborhoods better places for us all.