ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the story of Mission Trails, in part simply to bear witness to what happened, although a deeper consideration of resident experiences and voices is beyond the present scope and will appear in forthcoming writing. It begins to theorize the community claims to urban space that emerged from the Mission Trails struggle. The case of Mission Trails lies at the confluence of two world historic forces, one broadly global in character and one particular to San Antonio. On a national scale, Mission Trails inevitably evokes histories of Urban Renewal for those who lived through it. Mission Trails also recalls the razing of Victoria Courts, a public housing complex across the street from Hemisfair Park, as part of 1990s welfare reforms. The case of Mission Trails is undoubtedly an extreme example of development politics in San Antonio.
