3D Series Event - Risky Cities: Hazardous Urban Foundations & Disaster Capitalism

Risky Cities:

HAZARDOUS URBAN FOUNDATIONS AND DISASTER CAPITALISM

Written by Madison Slater*

On February 18th, 2022, FSU honors students were given the opportunity to participate in the Honors 3D event on Zoom by Albert S. Fu, Professor of Sociology at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Fu discussed his book, Risky Cities: The Physical and Fiscal Nature of Disaster Capitalism. Honors professor Dr. Azat Gündoğan hosted the event, gave his thoughts, and led students through discussion.
Dr. Fu grew up in southern California and lived in New York State and Pennsylvania for some time. So, he has seen a lot - wildfires, earthquakes, floods, blizzards, and even hurricanes. These experiences, coupled with his expertise in urban sociology, led him to dig deeper into the material and sociological dimensions of urbanization. His Zoom presentation and his book were focused on urbanization and its relation to environmental risks. He centered around questions like, "How vulnerable are we to these risks?", "What is their cause?", and "How do we build stronger, more stable foundations?"

Dr. Fu started with the topic, "laying the foundation." I was surprised to learn that many buildings are built on, quite literally, a pile of wooden sticks. This strategy, namely the "piles" strategy, consists of digging sticks, beams, and columns deep into the ground to help keep buildings stand evenly. This strategy has been around for centuries and thus implies a risk. For example, Dr. Fu mentioned the Millennium Tower in San Francisco, which tilts at about 3 inches per year and has sunk 18 inches in one section. Additionally, the Champlain Towers in Florida collapsed in June of 2021 - this event created hysteria and chaos involving the Millennium Tower and the lingering thought that it too could collapse.

Damage is more extensive than it may seem. Dr. Fu discussed the massive wildfire that swept across California about a decade ago. This fire engulfed the entire city of Paradise, California. This tragedy killed nearly 100 residents. While the immediate tragedy of deaths is undoubtedly the most notable and worthy of empathy, Fu also points out that, in addition, broader, less apparent effects spread across the entire region. Thousands, if not millions, were affected by the drastic drop in air quality across the region due to the mass amount of smoke and ash spread by the wildfire. It is vital to not only look at the effects of environmental tragedy but also the secondary effects. Dr. Fu discussed how to build stronger foundations to limit risk. His prominent solution included a re-direction of purpose. He questioned, "Are the legal safety standards made for the people living in the buildings? Or are they a way to "legitimize" the ongoing urbanization and profit motive?"

These eye-opening questions led me to discuss an important recurring theme in my IDH 2117 Social (In)Equalities class: institutions, and capitalism. In my opinion, capitalists and/or economists have created the concept of a "rational" way of thinking to justify their immoral and unsafe practices. Economists have come up with this elaborate "invisible hand," which is supposedly a natural, "hands-off" approach to market relations and thus urbanization. Social institutions have reinforced this notion, subtly making this way of thinking ingrained into our consciousness. After watching the presentation, a fire has been lit off in me! It is not fair that institutionalized capitalism is justifying and normalizing the risk of people's lives! For example, a vacation hotel on the beach posts its "verified safety inspection" online not because the inspection requirements were made to actually keep people safe, but to rather make it seem like a safe place to vacation and thus attract more vacationers. Infrastructure needs to recognize risks and not focus on a personal self-desire to make money.

Honors students and faculty were honored to have Professor Albert S. Fu share his impressive work. We hope to learn more from Dr. Fu's research and books, and we thank him for an insightful and enlightening presentation. I encourage all honors students to rent or buy his book, Risky Cities, to learn more about urbanization and its relations to environmental risks.

Book Citation:

(2022) Risky Cities: The Physical and Fiscal Nature of Disaster Capitalism. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press. https://www.rutgersuniversitypress.org/risky-cities/9781978820302