Shock Troops Of Gentrification

San Francisco rehabbed an area riddled with crime, stolen goods and drug overdoses by… building a small-scale skate park. Skateboarders and those in charge of city planning and maintenance have not always been easy friends. The relationship is starting to get warmer though, because the skaters have been instrumental in deterring the elements that drove the normies away from places like United Nations Plaza in SF. While the city had tried more expensive ways of improving the plaza, it wasn’t until they hit upon the relatively easy to implement idea of making it skateable that real change occurred.

A defining feature of the new skate park (or skate plaza, the name the city and skaters prefer) is that it’s a retreat from the grandeur that characterized earlier efforts. It also seems to be working better, with a $2 million price tag and just a few months of planning, than the catalog of failed projects, costing hundreds of millions, that preceded it.

The presence of the skateboarders practicing their craft acts as a protective watch in the area.

Another thing that Mr. Ginsburg said he had learned from working with skateboarders was that they operated as the informal “watchful eyes” that the urbanist Jane Jacobs had described as a crucial element of safe streets. They cover a lot of space, they watch out for one another, and unlike a concert or special event, skaters require no special programming from the city. They just show up in short bursts throughout the day, helping to maintain activity outside working hours.

One of my favorite skateboarders growing up was Ocean Howell. His technical prowess and smooth style were traits that I wanted to emulate. Now, Dr. Howell is a professor and expert in the area of built environments. His commentary on the effects of skateboarding on cities comes from a place of experience as well as study.

Ocean Howell is a history professor at the University of Oregon whose work focuses on how the built environment shapes social experience. In a 2005 paper, he described skateboarders as “shock troops of gentrification.” Dr. Howell is no hater: He’s a former professional skateboarder who skated for Birdhouse (Tony Hawk’s company) before his career in academia.

Howell sees the benefits that the unconventional sport can bring to urban areas. The reputation of skateboarding seems to be improving greatly from when I was involved.

I watched Ocean Howell’s part in the 1990 video Risk It many, many times. I would still love to find out more about the band Eclipse that provides the soundtrack.

Ocean Howell - Risk It (Gambling With Gravity)