“My neighborhood looks the same as it did 50 years ago”: What needs protection – and what needs to change?

Everyone has opinions on the Bay Area’s problems with housing, transit and public infrastructure, but Darrell Owens digs deep into the historical roots of these issues on his Substack “The Discourse Lounge.” When Darrell is analyzing a topic like gentrification, he doesn’t just start in the 1990s or 2000. He’ll go back more than a century, because, yes, the origins of our current demographic trends really do stretch that far. He also knows how to grab readers’ attention with headlines like “Why new apartments look ugly” and “Bay Area nightlife sucks – here’s how to fix it.” In addition to his writing, Darrell has been active with numerous “hands on” projects – from restoring long lost street neighborhood landmarks to installing “guerilla” bus benches at AC Transit stops lacking adequate seating. In this episode, Darrell and I discuss the origins of Nimby and Yimbyism, establishing criteria for historical preservation, the history of public housing, and much more. To see photos and links related to this episode, visit: Don’t forget to follow the East Bay Yesterday Substack for updates on events, boat tours, exhibits, and other local history news: Donate to keep this show alive: Special thanks to the sponsor of this episode: Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive. To learn more about BAMPFA’s current exhibit “Lee ShinJa: Drawing with Thread,” visit:

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“My neighborhood looks the same as it did 50 years ago”: What needs protection – and what needs to change? is an episode from East Bay Yesterday by East Bay Yesterday.

This episode is 01:14:37 long.

This episode was published on Oct 15, 2025.

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