In an effort to read more non-fiction books on important topics, I decided to pick up Capital City: Gentrification and the Real Estate State by Samuel Stein. While I understood in the general context what gentrification meant, I wanted to be better versed in the topic and be able to understand the full scope of how it happens and what we can do to prevent it.

When I first looked up this topic, this book was highly recommended so I decided to give it a try. It was well regarded as an easy-to-understand book that helps better enter the conversation, but how did it actually measure up?

The Plot

Often times when we talk about gentrification, we immediately jump to the point where white people are sipping on $9 lattes in neighborhoods that have been completely sanitized of any cultural identity. But Samuel Stein’s book digs more into how gentrification is engineered by the capitalist state.

As our cities change, real estate becomes even more lucrative by the day and people have more incentive to do whatever they can to make as much money as humanly possible, no matter the impact on the people living there, the environment or the city.

But a critical player in this conversation according to Stein are city planners. Throughout the book, Stein digs into how they help transform neighborhoods and ultimately decide the dynamics of urban change.

Is the Book Good or Bad?

It’s overall good, but there were moments of not so good. For example, there were several moments throughout the book that really stood out for me and I learned something new that opened my eyes to new topics or perspectives. However, it was almost entirely about city planners and I guess I didn’t realize that going into the book, so it felt a little boring or singular at times.

I also noticed a lot of the examples are focused on NYC, which is where Stein is based. This is very applicable for me, but for many people reading this book, they may feel disconnected with some of the examples or themes throughout the book.

Since reading this book, I’ve gone on to learn more about it through different sources, so it’s been a great stepping stone for me. So, if you’re pretty new to the topic like I was, it may be something worth reading.