Gentrification is the process of improving a struggling neighborhood for affluent people. One of the main causes of this shown by Kelefa Sanneh’s article “Is Gentrification Really a Problem?” , is the real estate market. Things that affect the value of something in a certain neighborhood can end up having a direct influence in all of the neighborhood and can lead to gentrification. The construction of a luxury apartment building can attract more businesses and in turn, more high-quality living spaces which could eventually displace someone living three blocks away.
The average price of the condos on the waterfront went from $219,000 to $200, 000 in the past few months (Seward pg.2, 2015). This decrease in housing prices is not common, though. It is found that when gentrification occurs, the average rents in a neighborhood rises. This is due to new renters who come to these neighborhoods who can afford to pay higher rents which raises the rent (ICPH pg.2, 2009). Resultantly, this causes people to move due to the increased rent.
Though the demographic crowd maybe stayed the same, the median household income of the people moving into to Harlem had significantly gone up. With all the modifications, the people who once lived in Harlem can no longer afford to live in Harlem, because gentrification cranks up the prices of living. That is why people of higher statuses with more money are able to move in, while people of lower status and less money are being pushed out. These modifications are all signs of gentrification
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…” (Davidson 349), rather, he suggests that everyone, the gentrifiers and the locals, be on the same page when it comes to developing their
Many proponents as well as advocates of gentrification like to use in many regard as code words to back up their claim that gentrification brings “revitalization” “urban renewal” and more importantly “enhances” the community. However, these are what many who are critical of gentrification deem to be “ code words”, because they appear to be ones that exude positivity when they are in fact not expressing the full story of the argument, because underneath this creeping positivity. There still exists this form of stereotyping that minorities, or those from lower socioeconomic means cannot create something that is unique or successful on their own. Furthermore, what existed in their communities before gentrification was one that brought little to no value to society.
Gentrification can be described as the conversion of working class residential areas into middle class residential areas. The process of gentrification tends to take place in inner-city neighborhoods that are located close to central business districts. The concept of gentrification began in the 1960s with the movement of private-market investment capital into downtown business districts of major urban centers or inner-cities. During the 1970s, there was a decline in the housing in inner cities, which caused the push to rehab the deteriorating housing near the central business districts. Some of the rehabilitation of the deteriorating housing was publicly subsidized, but the majority was financed by the private market.
The Struggles from Gentrification Do you know any areas around you that were once seen as rundown, but are now a lot more commercialized and improved? This is the result of gentrification. What is gentrification you might ask? Well, gentrification’s dictionary definition is a process of urban development in which a city neighborhood develops rapidly over a short time, changing from low to high value.
Throughout the second half of the twentieth century, many U.S. cities experienced rapid change. After World War II, many suburbs began to grow and develop across the United States. These suburbs represented a new modern and affluent life. However, they were also very exclusive and homogeneous. Most of the residents were, white and, middle-class families.
Gentrification has been fairly a new trend, it indicates the process of renewal, and it’s rebuilding which is associated with the overwhelming flow of middle-class or wealthy people into this deteriorating communities. Which often displace the poorer people of that community and resulting in an increase in property values. Gentrification is usually thought as being a positive economic development, but many is frowned upon by many as well as myself. This does start the renewal process that cleans up the community. Often than not, leads to the increase in sales in housing, taxes, and individuals rent.
In a lot of ways good things do come from gentrification. For example, safer neighborhoods, historic parts of towns restored, small businesses can stake ground, and the homes are still affordable while being aesthetically pleasing. It forces schools to become better and the property price to go up.
NIMBYS The research done in the analysis of Sunset Park’s future in the modern economy ultimately leads back to a conversation about gentrification. The word gentrification has become a loaded term, synonymous with the displacement of the people most vulnerable in society—the undereducated, impoverished working class that is typically composed of immigrants; however, gentrification is akin to improvement. It is undeniable that these underserved communities need help, but talks of neighborhood “improvement,” “investment,” “revitalization,” “renewal,” and “economic development” are stymied by the taboo of gentrification. Gentrification at its simplest comes down to who is investing in a neighborhood.
In this speech, I will begin by explaining what gentrification is along with a short background on the Lincoln Park gentrification, then I will proceed to explain how the families in these areas fought for their homes, and finally I will be discussing the gentrification that is affecting citizens of Chicago today. Body I. Gentrification is the process of renovating an area to meet the standards of a different social class, typically the upper middle class. Throughout this process the price of renting and owning a home increases while family owned businesses become bankrupt. Low-income families are left homeless and without the support of a
Gentrification is the process of renovating and improving a house or district so that it conforms to middle-class taste. Real Estate investors usually take low-income places that they feel have a chance to prosper economically, and turn them into areas that attract the middle and upper class workers. In doing so they feel like the low-income areas will be safer and more appealing, attracting more people to visit and live there. An improvement to a poor district sounds beautiful, but is gentrification as great as it’s sought out to be? Many residents have their doubts about gentrification due to the idea that the costs of their living will go up and they will be driven out of their neighborhoods.
In areas like Park Slope, which was going through the gentrification process before the other parts of Brooklyn, was seen as an area with a lot “potential” to the middle class that was looking to work closer to the city (4). New York City also gave tax redemptions to people who lived in these areas or use these areas for private interest (4). People hearing this in the suburbs will slowly start to look to buy these houses in these areas since they will get tax redemptions and a potential to sell the houses in these areas for more they purchased making them more money. This will peak the interest for people to make more money rather than making a more livable city for all classes. This is seen in the borough of Barnsbury in London where landlords were starting to see tenants as unprofitable.
Urban sprawl; the expansion of urban developments on undeveloped land near a city. Urban sprawl has its benefits, such as affordable land and low crime rate, urban sprawl has many negative consequences for residents and the environment too. To start with, urban sprawl consumes an area of a land. Only 5% of Canada's land is farmable. The land area it consumes might be used for agriculture purposes previously.