Weird City : : Sense of Place and Creative Resistance in Austin, Texas / / Joshua Long.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter University of Texas Press eBook-Package Backlist 2000-2013
• VerfasserIn: Long, Joshua,
• Place / Publishing House: Austin : : University of Texas Press, , [2021]; ©2010
• Year of Publication: 2021
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (221 p.)

Austin, Texas, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, is experiencing one of the most dynamic periods in its history. Wedged between homogenizing growth and a long tradition of rebellious nonconformity, many Austinites feel that they are in the midst of a battle for the city's soul. From this struggle, a movement has emerged as a form of resistance to the rapid urban transformation brought about in recent years: "Keep Austin Weird" originated in 2000 as a grassroots expression of place attachment and anti-commercialization. Its popularity has led to its use as a rallying cry for local business, as a rhetorical tool by city governance, and now as the unofficial civic motto for a city experiencing rapid growth and transformation. By using "Keep Austin Weird" as a central focus, Joshua Long explores the links between sense of place, consumption patterns, sustainable development, and urban politics in Austin. Research on this phenomenon considers the strong influence of the "Creative Class" thesis on Smart Growth strategies, gentrification, income inequality, and social polarization made popular by the works of Richard Florida. This study is highly applicable to several emerging "Creative Cities," but holds special significance for the city considered the greatest creative success story, Austin.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- Interlude 1. Welcome Home -- Chapter One. Why Weird? -- Chapter Tw o. A Little Background Music -- Chapter Three. Austin Emerging -- Interlude 2. Lofts Ascending -- Chapter Four. Aliens, Affluence, and Abnormality -- Chapter Five. Keeping It Weird -- Interlude 3. The King and Queen of Weird Austin -- Chapter Six. Sense of Place, Conflict, and Creative Resistance -- Postscript: For the Theoretically Inclined -- Appendix A. Annotated Glossary of Terms -- Appendix B. Suggestions for Further Reading -- Appendix C. Map of Interview Locations -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index