“We’re forgotten”: The shaping of place attachment and collective action in Detroit’s 48217 neighborhood

Abstract

ABSTRACTCommunities that experience severe disinvestment represent unique political spheres in their mobilization against loss of amenities and simultaneous place attachment to such geographies. 48217, a predominantly Black neighborhood of Southwest Detroit (that is called by its ZIP code), is in close proximity to noxious industries like Marathon Petroleum and steel production. In this article, discourse analysis of interviews with residents was done, concluding that a history of industrial zoning that has depleted land values and prompted school closures and loss of basic amenities has resulted in a collective identity around community activism and resistance to such development patterns. This article finds that 48217 uses collective action framing of disinvestment in predominantly Black communities to drive organizing efforts across shrinking cities as a mobilization strategy. Finally, perhaps counterintuitively, the 48217 community developed a sense of collective identity and place attachment around their experiences of disinvestment and stigma.