In Latino City: Urban Planning, Politics, and the Grassroots (Routledge 2017) Dr. Erualdo R. Gonzalez addresses the salient issue of gentrification and its effect on immigrant and working-class populations in the city of Santa Ana, California. Centering his analysis on one of the nations most “Mexican” cities, Gonzalez tracks redevelopment discourse and practice in the city of Santa Ana over the course of four decades. Engaging the concepts of new urbanism, creative class, and transit-oriented models of planning, he explains how city officials and developers have worked in concert to displace Latina/o businesses and populations through urban revitalization efforts. Equally important, Gonzalez illuminates the grassroots response of Santa Anas Latina/o community and their effect on planning discourse and policy. Combining archival research with participant observation, Latino City provides an in-depth community study that adds to the growing body of scholarly literature referred to as Latino urbanism.

David-James Gonzales (DJ) has a PhD in History from the University of Southern California. He is a historian of the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands, Civil Rights, and Latina/o identity and politics. His research centers on the intersection of Latina/o civic engagement and politics on the metropolitan development of Orange County, CA throughout the 20th century.

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