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Melbourne Evicts Artists, Raises Rent

Posted by: Nate Berg

7 September 2006 - 9:00am

Artists in Melbourne, Australia, have been evicted as the city seeks to turn their studios into condos. The city likes the artist culture, but the artists cannot provide the higher rents the gentrifying city requires.

"It's a familiar story that happens around the world — artists are among the first to colonize the run-down interstices of the city, creating interesting communities and regenerating neglected areas. They help make areas fashionable, but the resulting gentrification means they often move on themselves."

More than 20 artists in a historically artist-occupied building have been given moving orders from the city of Melbourne. Though the Australian city touts its artistic culture as a key tourism highlight, the artists themselves are being pushed out to make room for higher bidders.

Full Story: City's arty image the in thing, but artists on the way out
Source: The Age, September 7, 2006
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Almost 2,000 big plots of land in high-visibility parts of American communities will be empty and available for reuse. So what should cities do with these soon-to-be-empty spaces?
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