Gentrification is a term that describes the general influx of wealthier people in an existing urban area, an increase in property and rent values, and change in the neighborhood’s culture. After many years of urban population decline, city population is now growing due to the rise of trendy middle and upper class Americans moving into neighborhoods they previously would have avoided. Many people would see this as a chance to bring together groups of people from different races, backgrounds, cultures, and ideas to make improvements in the city; However, there continues to be high levels of inequality and poverty in these areas. Gentrification has caused tension and conflict in many communities where a dynamic and culture had already been established. …show more content…
Nonetheless, people are being moved out of places they call home for the arrival of middle and upper class tenants and developers. This leaves people with nowhere else to go and more people on the streets. One could argue that these people could just move to cheaper places, but with the rising home market prices affordability becomes a huge issue. Say for instance you take a person out of their place of business, say it’s a family business for decades but gentrifiers decide to want to take this place down to create a Starbucks. Therein lies the rub people have with gentrification especially when you can’t afford to go anywhere else; Forcing a lot of residents and business owners to file for bankruptcy. As a result of this, the poor begin to suffer from economic hardship and marginalization while the middle class and upper class wealth begins to grow from their new found …show more content…
However, based on an article I read by nextcity.org, there are three ways that we could approach to slow down its rapid rate. First, we need to make sure that “every stakeholder in the community has a place at the table before the process advances too far.” This means that developers and city residents should work and plan together from the start to make sure everyone’s goals and needs are met. Multiple meetings and gatherings should be mandatory to make sure that compromises can be made to any arguments on both sides. Next, people of the community need to “learn how the planning and development process works.” In cities like Philadelphia, there are organizations such as the Registered Community Organization (RCO) that deal with how people of the community want to shape its development. However, these organization aren’t able to reach the entire community which sometimes stagnates progress. Regardless, giving residents the knowledge of what goes on behind the scenes of their community can help development help everyone and influence developers. Lastly, city government needs to protect its residents and keep the culture already established but bringing in others to that culture and helping the understand what makes that special. A community that sticks together and forms plans together can
There has to be a realistic solution that can be put into motion to benefit everyone involved. Referring again to his article “Is Gentrification All Bad?” Davidson argues that urban renewal, if done right, is not a monstrous custom that it is painted to be; nevertheless, he reasons that gentrification depends on who does it, how they do it, and why they do it. As a resident in New York, a city where gentrification is as widespread as the common cold in winter, Davidson speculates that those who go into a neighborhood with the intention to renovate houses, or abandoned buildings ought to have a good reason for it. The author points out that “Gentrification does not have to be something that one group inflicts on another…”
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
“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).
Gentrification Through a Sociological Lens Gentrification has reshaped a growing number of urban communities throughout the United States. In 1964, Ruth Glass coined the word “gentrification” to describe the transformations of many London neighborhoods. According to the Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Gentrification defines as, “the rehabilitation and settlement of decaying urban areas by middle- and high-income people”. Cities are finding themselves having to adapt to a more middle-class taste, where the implications of doing so can be tricky. As outspoken director Spike Lee, whose movies tackled subjects like race relations and poverty, said himself, “Why does it take an influx of white New Yorkers...for the facilities to get better?”
Gentrification is described as the renovation of certain neighborhoods in order to accommodate to young workers and the middle-class. For an area to be considered gentrified, a neighborhood must meet a certain median home value and hold a percentage of adults earning Bachelor’s degree. Philadelphia’s gentrification rate is among the top in the nation; different neighborhoods have pushed for gentrification and have seen immense changes as a result. However, deciding on whether or not gentrification is a beneficial process can become complicated. Various groups of people believe that cities should implementing policy on advancing gentrification, and others believe that this process shouldn’t executed. Both sides are impacted by the decision to progress gentrification; it is unclear of the true implications of completely renovating impoverished urban areas; gentrification surely doesn’t solve all of a community’s issues. I personally believe that gentrification is not necessarily a good or bad process; gentrification should occur as a natural progression of innovative economies and novel lifestyles collide within certain areas. Policy involving gentrification should not support the removal of people out of their neighborhood for the sake of advancement.
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.
Beginning in the 1960s, middle and upper class populations began moving out of the suburbs and back into urban areas. At first, this revitalization of urban areas was 'treated as a 'back to the city' movement of suburbanites, but recent research has shown it to be a much more complicated phenomenon' (Schwirian 96). This phenomenon was coined 'gentrification' by researcher Ruth Glass in 1964 to describe the residential movement of middle-class people into low-income areas of London (Zukin 131). More specifically, gentrification is the renovation of previously poor urban dwellings, typically into condominiums, aimed at upper and middle class professionals. Since the 1960s, gentrification has appeared in large cities such as Washington D.C., San Francisco, and New York. This trend among typically young, white, upper-middle class working professionals back into the city has caused much controversy (Schwirian 96). The arguments for and against gentrification will be examined in this paper.
The problem however, with these “renewal projects” is that the implemented changes are never usually intended to benefit the long time inhabitants of these communities, these changes are intended usually, to push out the element of poverty that exists in many of these communities (which is a direct result of decades of neglect) in exchange for the opportunity to cater to a more affluent (usually less “ethnic”) demographic. In laymen’s terms, city planners, elected officials, prospective businesses, and even law enforcement, all converge for the purpose of removing poor people from an area by simply making it too pleasant and by exten...
Now, new evidences and ground reports suggest us that positive outcomes far outweigh perceived disadvantages. It is true when you consider various factors at a macro level. In reality, revitalization of neighborhoods may accrue tangible economic benefits to the residents. Who would not like to see brand new investments in infrastructure and ballooning economic activity in the impoverished neighborhood? In the meanwhile, the gentrification process needs a gentle touch and smooth handling.
An example of this merging is gentrification. Gentrification is the renovation and revitalization of urban low-income areas, transforming it into the requirements of middle-class life. For this renovation of certain buildings and areas undergo changes through refurbishments, extensions, and developments. New retail destinations and dining locations are built, providing various opportunities for interactions amongst local residents. However, as part of gentrification, an influx of high status predominantly white people relocate or invest in these areas.
the middle class was growing in size and influence, and the working poor were leaving their
The answer is gentrification. Gentrification is the restoration or improvement of run-down urban areas by the middle class to accommodate their way of life and is prevalent all across the United States in cities such as Portland, Seattle, and Atlanta to
Gentrification Toward a Segregated United States of America Gentrification is defined as the process of renovating and improving a house or district so that it conforms to middle-class taste. In the United States this has become a very common occurrence as many urban areas and neighborhoods are constantly being remodeled and reconstructed so that they can continue to be seen as modern and attractive to potential home buyers. Due to this, gentrification is typically given a connotation of a process that displaces lower income families from a neighborhood and is therefore an issue of socioeconomic status. However, gentrification is an even deeper issue than is commonly seen because it also divides individuals based off of race. While gentrification is traditionally seen as an issue of wealth and social class, the additional divides it creates over race serve only to keep the United States a segregated country while also creating unnecessary tension and violence between surrounding neighborhoods and urban areas.
While cities strive to reach this level of complete communities, that is housing, places of work, parks, entertainment, somewhere along the process they put up a barrier. As cities evolve to provide us with these