Technical Communication Quarterly Apr 2024

A Dangerous, Costly Neighborhood: A Critique of Blight and Obsolescence Claims in Local Media Coverage of a Planning Project

Timothy J. Elliott DePaul University

Abstract

This article examines how local newspaper stories in a college town created a dominant cultural narrative about an urban redevelopment project using tropes of physical blight and financial obsolescence. The article discusses descriptive tactics that appear throughout 16 years of coverage alongside patterns in the stories’ frequency, focus, and authorship. The conclusion shares a series of practical takeaways for technical writers looking to collaborate with communities facing redevelopment.

Journal
Technical Communication Quarterly
Published
2024-04-02
DOI
10.1080/10572252.2023.2229381
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