Gentrification In Houston, New York, Chicago, and other major urban cities of the United Sates, gentrification is becoming a major talking point. Though, gentrification is becoming something big, not that many people who speak about it are clearly aware of the subject, they just know it is going on. On this paper, I will briefly describe gentrification, and will mainly use Immanuel Kant’s theory to analyze why gentrification is wrong, whilst also comparing it to the utilitarian approach to gentrification. Gentrification is a complicated term that gets defined in many ways by people that do not understand it; the term usually ends up being romanticized instead. It often gets defined by various people as the renovation of lower income neighbor
Yet, there are arguments for gentrification that claim that gentrifying low-income neighborhoods causes less negative impact than what is feared. a study from NYU’s Furman Center suggests that residents of public housing in wealthier and gentrifying neighborhoods make more money, live with less violence, and have better educational options for their children, despite also facing some challenges (in defense of gentrification) This is a utilitarian approach to supporting gentrification. The principle of utility states that morally right thing is the one that produces the most happiness for the greatest amount of people. John Stewart Mill states that morality comes down to the greatest amount of pleasure. Numbers matter to a utilitarian, and with gentrification a great number of people can benefit from the gentrifying from the neighborhoods. Therefore, if these benefits were to occur under gentrification, the utilitarian would favor it because they look at the benefits that it brings to most people. This idea could refer to the example I mentioned earlier of the of the business men walking into a neighborhood and gentrifying a neighborhood mentioned that it sounds good only if you go unaffected. A person that states they have a utilitarian view when discussing
There are people in the neighborhoods that can enjoy the neighborhood enhancements because they know they can survive the inflation of their rent. There are people that are oblivious to the fact that their rent will increase a significant amount, because they are excited that there will be shiny new locations arriving around their area. Once their landlord explains to them that their rent will increase – in New York it could be up to fifty percent – they will be struck with the sad reality of gentrification. Gentrification is similar to other social issues, primarily in the fact that one does not think about the issue until it affects them. To me, it is crucial to approach with Immanuel Kant’s theory in mind. It is important to view the overall morality of an issue. “Is it necessary?” is a question I ask myself when addressing this issue. Kant believes one should not use another for self-benefit, and with gentrification one group of men or women are using a group of families for their own
Jackelyn Hwang and Robert J. Sampson’s article “Divergent Pathways of Gentrification: Racial Inequality and the Social Order of Renewal in Chicago Neighborhoods” addresses the evolution of gentrification over time. The direct examination of gentrification is difficult to observe; however, by examining social pathways we are able to further advance our studies.
Lance Freeman tackles the issue of gentrification from the perspectives of residents in the gentrified neighborhood. He criticizes the literature for overlooking the experiences of the victims of gentrification. The author argues that people’s conceptions on the issue are somewhat misinformed in that most people consider it as completely deplorable, whereas in reality, it benefits the community by promoting businesses, different types of stores, and cleaner streets. These benefits are even acknowledged by many residents in the gentrified neighborhood. However, the author admits that gentrification indeed does harm. Although gentrification does not equate to displacement per se, it serves to benefit primarily homeowners and harm the poor. Additionally,
“Gentrification is a general term for the arrival of wealthier people in an existing urban district, a related increase in rents and property values, and changes in the district's character and culture.” (Grant) In layman’s terms, gentrification is when white people move to a black neighborhood for the sake of cheaper living, and in turn, raise up property values and force black neighbors to leave because of a higher price of living. Commonly, the government supports gentrification with the demolition of public housing in areas that are developing with more white neighbors. This is causing a decreasing amount of African Americans to be able to afford to live in the neighborhood as their homes are taken away from them, forcing them to relocate. Whilst gentrification normally has negative connotations, there are several people who believe gentrification brings about “an upward trend in property values in previously neglected neighborhoods.” (Jerzyk) On the other hand, this new trend in property value and business causes those...
Another noteworthy urban sociologist that’s invested significant research and time into gentrification is Saskia Sassen, among other topical analysis including globalization. “Gentrification was initially understood as the rehabilitation of decaying and low-income housing by middle-class outsiders in central cities. In the late 1970s a broader conceptualization of the process began to emerge, and by the early 1980s new scholarship had developed a far broader meaning of gentrification, linking it with processes of spatial, economic and social restructuring.” (Sassen 1991: 255). This account is an extract from an influential book that extended beyond the field of gentrification and summarizes its basis proficiently. In more recent and localized media, the release the documentary-film ‘In Jackson Heights’ portrayed the devastation that gentrification is causing as it plagues through Jackson Heights, Queens. One of the local businessmen interviewed is shop owner Don Tobon, stating "We live in a
The article explains that gentrification of City of Toronto is “a socio-spatial process that is highly unsustainable and socially unjust.” The author explains that the condominium boom is the result of the municipal and provincial policies incorporated to waterfront Toronto, which transforms the existing urban fabric of the city. The article argues that City of Toronto needs to
Mystique Caston Ms. Jefferson English 22 february 2016 Gentrification and Chicago Gentrification and chicago “Gentrification refers to trends in the neighborhood development that tend to attract more affluent residents, and in the instances concentrates scale commercial investment. ”(Bennet,).This means that gentrification can change how a neighborhood is ran or even how much income the community takes in depending on what businesses come in and what class of people decide to invest into that community. In this paper i will be discussing gentrification and and poverty, pros and cons of gentrification, relationships due to gentrification, conflict due to gentrification, reactions/ feelings or of small business owners about
But many interviews from residents experiencing Gentrification say otherwise. In some cities there are people being asked and bribed to leave by landlords so they can make room for wealthier renters who are willing to pay two times the price just to live in the city. Take for instance Brooklyn, NY. The low income residents are escaping raising rents and going farther east. Rachel Cruz, a former resident was offered a 10,000 buyout by her landlord to move and make room for the current higher earning income residents. Unlike Rachel there are also some residents who refuse to move and face the consequences of being treated unfairly when it comes to the quality of
Gentrification is the keystone for the progression of the basic standards of living in urban environments. A prerequisite for the advancement of urban areas is an improvement of housing, dining, and general social services. One of the most revered and illustrious examples of gentrification in an urban setting is New York City. New York City’s gentrification projects are seen as a model for gentrification for not only America, but also the rest of the world. Gentrification in an urban setting is much more complex and has deeper ramifications than seen at face value. With changes in housing, modifications to the quality of life in the surrounding area must be considered as well. Constant lifestyle changes in a community can push out life-time
There are many examples of cities reforming itself over time, one significant example is Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. More than a hundred years after the discovery of gold that drew thousands of migrants to Vancouver, the city has changed a lot, and so does one of its oldest community: Downtown Eastside. Began as a small town for workers that migrants frequently, after these workers moved away with all the money they have made, Downtown Eastside faced many hardships and changes. As a city, Vancouver gave much support to improve the area’s living quality and economics, known as a process called gentrification. But is this process really benefiting everyone living in Downtown Eastside? The answer is no. Gentrification towards DTES(Downtown Eastside) did not benefit the all the inhabitants of the area. Reasons are the new rent price of the area is much higher than before the gentrification, new businesses are not community-minded, and the old culture and lifestyle of the DTES is getting erased by the new residents.
“gentrification as an ugly product of greed. Yet these perspectives miss the point. Gentrification is a byproduct of mankind 's continuing interest in advancing the notion that one group is more superior to another and worthy of capitalistic consumption with little regard to social consciousness. It is elitism of the utmost and exclusionary politics to the core. This has been a constant theme of mankind to take or deplete a space for personal gain. In other words, it 's very similar to the "great advantage" of European powers over Native Americans and westward expansion”(Wharton).
was appealing because in the city there was new technology available, but the increasing migration to the cities caused extreme poverty for families in the city and forced the wealthy to move. The large surplus of people into the city led to “the prodigious increase of the tenement-house population,” or the increasingly amount of people who lived in the dumbbell tenements (Riis 275). The dumbbell tenements were hardly a solution to the growing problem of people because they could, though not comfortably, accommodate an entire family in one room for a cheap price. The poor people who lived in the tenements were typically the families who needed to have all members, women and children alike, working to have the money they needed to live. In contrast to the poor, the wealthy people began to strongly dislike the growing population of poor in the beautiful cities, so the solution to their problems was to escape the stench that was the city and move to suburban areas just outside of the city. Many people saw the chance to be “commuters, [or] those who lived in the suburbs and traveled in and out of the city for work,” and they “began to increase in number” (American Memory Timeline). The wealthier people could to use their fortunes to leave the cities and live just outside of them, but they were still capable of commuting to the cities for work and leisure. Urbanization to the cities made for an overly-packed place for a family home, but it was the only place the poor could afford to live, unlike the rich who moved to suburban areas around the
In discussions of Gentrification, one controversial issue has been with displacement. Gentrification is the process of renovating and repairing a house or district so that it complies to wealthier residents (Biro, 2007, p. 42). Displacement is a result of gentrification, and is a major issue for lower income families. Gentrification is causing lower-income residents to move out of their apartments because they’re being displaced by upper class residents who can afford high rent prices and more successful businesses. Throughout out the essay, I will discuss how gentrification affects lower income residents and how it results in displacement. Then I will follow on by discussing some positive and negative effects that take place because of Gentrification.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention defines gentrification as “the transformation of neighborhoods from low value to high value…gentrification is a housing, economic, and health issue that affects a community’s history and culture and reduces social capital often by shifting a neighborhood’s characteristics by adding new stores and resources in previously run-down neighborhoods.” Gentrification disproportionately affects special populations, including but not limited to the poor, women, children, the elderly and a vast majority of minority groups.
Gentrification is a highly important topic that has not only been occurring all over the United States, but especially closer than we may have thought. San Francisco is home to hundreds of thousands of people who have been a part of how amazing this city has become. San Francisco is one of the most visited places in the world with many of its famous landmarks, endless opportunities not only for daytime fun but also has an amazing nightlife that people cannot get enough of. People come for a great time and could not be done without the help of the people who have grown up to experience and love this city for what it truly is. The cost of living in such an important city has definitely had its affect of lower income San Francisco residents. For decades we have seen changes occurring in parts of San Francisco where minorities live. We have seen this in Chinatown, SOMA, Fillmore district, and especially the Mission district.
Although rent control is a controversial topic and many economists have argued with its inefficient outcome, many cities in the United States such as New York City and San Francisco still hold this kind of law or ordinances in their systems. Why these big cities do not want to abolish rent control and is that rent control really does harms more than goods? Focus on rent control in San Francisco, and compared to New York City, this essay tried to find the changes and the revises of rent control.