Aspen and the American Dream : How One Town Manages Inequality in the Era of Supergentrification

How is it possible for a town to exist where the median household income is about $73,000, but the median home price is about $4,000,000? Boring into the "impossible" math of Aspen, Colorado, Stuber explores how middle-class people have found a way to live in this supergentrified town. Interviewing a range of residents, policymakers, and officials, Stuber shows that what resolves the math equation between incomes and home values in Aspen, Colorado—the X-factor that makes middle-class life possible—is the careful orchestration of diverse class interests within local politics and the community. She explores how this is achieved through a highly regulatory and extractive land use code that provides symbolic and material value to highly affluent investors and part-year residents, as well as less-affluent locals, many of whom benefit from an array of subsidies—including an extensive affordable housing program—that redistribute economic resources in ways that make it possible for middle-class residents to live there. Stuber further examines how Latinos, who provide much of the service work in Aspen and who tend to live outside the town, fit into the social geography of one of the most unequal places in the country. Overall, Stuber argues that the Aspen's ability to balance the interests of its diverse class constituencies is not a foregone conclusion; rather, it is the result of efforts by local stakeholders—citizens, government, developers, and vacationers—to preserve the town’s unique feel and value, and "keep Aspen, Aspen" in all its complex dynamics.

How is it possible for a town to exist where the median household income is about $73,000, but the median home price is about $4,000,000? Boring into the "impossible" math of Aspen, Colorado, Stuber explores how middle-class people have found a way to live in this supergentrified town. Interviewing a range of residents, policymakers, and officials, Stuber shows that what resolves the math equation between incomes and home values in Aspen, Colorado—the X-factor that makes middle-class life possible—is the careful orchestration of diverse class interests within local politics and the community. She explores how this is achieved through a highly regulatory and extractive land use code that provides symbolic and material value to highly affluent investors and part-year residents, as well as less-affluent locals, many of whom benefit from an array of subsidies—including an extensive affordable housing program—that redistribute economic resources in ways that make it possible for middle-class residents to live there.

Stuber further examines how Latinos, who provide much of the service work in Aspen and who tend to live outside the town, fit into the social geography of one of the most unequal places in the country. Overall, Stuber argues that the Aspen's ability to balance the interests of its diverse class constituencies is not a foregone conclusion; rather, it is the result of efforts by local stakeholders—citizens, government, developers, and vacationers—to preserve the town’s unique feel and value, and "keep Aspen, Aspen" in all its complex dynamics.

"How is it possible for a town to exist where the median household income is about $73,000, but the median home price is about $4,000,000? Boring into the 'impossible' math of Aspen, Colorado, Stuber explores how the middle-class have found a way to live in this super-gentrified town. Interviewing a range of residents, policymakers and officials, Stuber shows that what resolves the impossible math equation between incomes and home values in Aspen, Colorado--the "X-factor" that makes middle-class life possible--is the careful orchestration of diverse class interests within local politics and the community. She explores how this is achieved through a highly regulatory and extractive land use code that provides symbolic and material value to highly affluent investors and part-year residents, as well as less-affluent locals, many of whom benefit from an array of subsidies--including an extensive affordable housing program--that redistribute economic resources in ways that make it possible for middle-class residents there. Stuber further examines how Latinos, who provide much of the service work in Aspen and who tend to live outside the town, fit into the social geography of one of the most unequal places in the country. Overall, Stuber argues that the Aspen's ability to balance the interests of its diverse class constituencies is not a foregone conclusion; rather, it is the result of efforts by local stakeholders--citizens, government, developers, and vacationers--to preserve the town's unique feel and value, and "keep Aspen, Aspen" in all its complex dynamics"-- Provided by publisher

How is it possible for a town to exist where the medianhousehold income is about $73,000, but the median home price isabout $4,000,000? Boring into the "impossible" math of Aspen,Colorado, Stuber explores how middle-class people have found a wayto live in this supergentrified town. Interviewing a range ofresidents, policymakers, and officials, Stuber shows that whatresolves the math equation between incomes and home values inAspen, Colorado-the X-factor that makes middle-class lifepossible-is the careful orchestration of diverse class interestswithin local politics and the community. She explores how this isachieved through a highly regulatory and extractive land use codethat provides symbolic and material value to highly affluentinvestors and part-year residents, as well as less-affluent locals,many of whom benefit from an array of subsidies-including anextensive affordable housing program-that redistribute economicresources in ways that make it possible for middle-class residentsto live there.

Stuber further examines how Latinos, who provide much of theservice work in Aspen and who tend to live outside the town, fitinto the social geography of one of the most unequal places in thecountry. Overall, Stuber argues that the Aspen's ability to balancethe interests of its diverse class constituencies is not a foregoneconclusion; rather, it is the result of efforts by localstakeholders-citizens, government, developers, and vacationers-topreserve the town's unique feel and value, and "keep Aspen, Aspen"in all its complex dynamics.

Cover Aspen and the American Dream Title Copyright Dedication Contents List of Figures and Tables Introduction: The Impossible Math of Aspen, Colorado 1. Place-Based Class Cultures 2. Living the “Aspen Dream”? Redefining and Realizing the Good Life 3. Steadying the Pendulum 4. Place-Making and the Construction of “Small-Town Character” 5. “But Does It Deliver Value?”: Negotiating Aspen’s Land Use Code 6. A Mall at the Base of a Mountain? 7. Buscando el Sueño Americano: Latinos in the Valley Conclusion: The Limits and Possibilities of Place-Making in the Era of Supergentrification Acknowledgments Appendix: Methodology Notes References Index