Mapping Silicon Valley’s Gentrification Problem Through Corporate Shuttle Routes

Written by Eric Rodenbeck

Corporate Shuttles as Symbols–and Conduits–of Change

It’s not an exaggeration to say that the relationship between the traditionally anti-urban values of the suburbs and anti-suburban attitudes of the city is at least partially responsible for this change in San Francisco – and by extension the rest of urban America as it, too, confronts the relentless, tech-centric logic of Silicon Valley.

Take the public transportation provided by corporate shuttle buses from the likes of Apple, Google, Facebook, and others. It’s not news that these shuttles, and the big digital tech companies that run them, are changing the fabric of San Francisco as we’ve known it. What feels new is that it’s not enough to say that change is coming soon. It’s already, very much here.

It’s therefore worth re-examining the specific conduits and corridors by which this change is being delivered. What safer conduit for change outside the public domain is there than a private shuttle bus, and what better corridor is there than its not-so-secret routes?