We live in a world where aesthetics and money play an important role. Having a surrounding neighborhood, shopping centers, and even a local Target that hits the right aesthetic is incredibly beneficial to recent buyers. City after city has the same shape and look because of its buyers. In a way, when first seeing and hearing about these new developments some may look at it as positive. But is it positive if people in those areas have to move their entire lives around because of it? This is where the term gentrification comes in, which has been happening globally for decades. Aside from that, for this paper I will be focusing on the city of Atlanta, Georgia. The rapid gentrification and resulting displacement in the city of Atlanta can be attributed …show more content…
It has been happening in major cities like the one that we live in, Atlanta. With this information, I plan to consult sources interviews based on the current gentrification occurring locally and throughout the country. In synthesizing this information it is also important to consider additional questions such as how long has gentrification been happening in Atlanta and who does gentrification affect in these local cities? For the structure of this research paper, I will begin with an explanation of gentrification. I will continue by sharing the history of gentrification in Atlanta. Next I will explain how this affects certain people living in Atlanta through the action of displacement. Ultimately I will conclude why this is such a major …show more content…
Events like redlining maps that helped block generations of Black people in Atlanta and other places from homeownership. To define what redlining is, the discriminatory practice of denying potential customers because of racial appearance and stereotypes. Urban renewal policies created in the 1950s and 1960s continued to displace low-income and minority families, such as neighborhoods like Buttermilk Bottoms. Buttermilk Bottom is an African-American neighborhood in central downtown Atlanta, it was said best by the fames author James Baldwin, “Urban renewal means negro removal”. In the 1970s and 1980s, gentrification was truly accelerated by white individuals targeting African-American neighborhoods like Vine City, West End, and Peoplestown. The opportunities for minorities when it comes to housing and home loans were taken away for a reason. When you sit back and think, even though there was The 1968 Fair Housing Act that helped in a way “banned '' housing discrimination, why is it that almost 100 years later we are still dealing with the effects of separation and discrimination while struggling to find a resolution? It is because of situations like these that were solely used to put people of color behind when it comes to housing and building up areas themselves. Peter Dreier’s article, “Who Benefits from Gentrification”
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 idea of equality for all people, regardless of their race, is instilled in the American society of today. Unfortunately, this idea has not always been present, which ultimately has caused many issues for America’s society in the past. As discussed in the book Our Town: Race, Housing, and the Soul of Suburbia, David L. Kirp focuses on the inequality that was found between the low-income blacks and the middle class whites in a South Jersey town, Mount Laurel. At the time, the whites had a goal of running the blacks out of the town by making the costs of housing expensive enough where blacks could not afford it. This lead to unequal treatment for the blacks who lived in Mount Laurel compared to the whites when it came to housing opportunities.
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.
Blacks moved into white neighborhoods, thinking the value of their new home would stay the same or increase, as it had previously for whites in the neighborhood. Instead, their neighborhood value declined because they had moved into it. 7. What was the practice of “blockbusting”?
In this article, “Gentrification”, by Sherman Alexie, the author tells a story about his neighborhood. The authors story was one where he thought he was doing the right thing but yet once he had done it, he did not feel good about it at all. The author shows how there is still racism in America and that can change the way people see things. The author shows this through a personal story that happened awhile back.
Gentrification connotes the influx of wealthier people into an existing urban area and a related increase in the property value, rent, and changes in culture and character. More often, gentrification is negatively portrayed as the displacement of poor communities through the arrival of rich outsiders. Gentrification arises from an increased interest in a certain urban district leading to many wealthy people buying and renovating houses in the area. The real impacts of gentrification are often intricate, contradictory and vary depending on the type of urban center. In a way, gentrification has greatly altered American urban landscape over the years.
This process can come with the renovation of old landmarks and buildings or making new buildings where the old building once stood. The process when done correctly, has a positive outcome for community. Sometimes this process can come with scrutiny since most of the people of these higher class are white. Although there are many reason not to be for gentrification the purpose of this paper it to give my perspective on why I believe gentrification is good for communities. I believe gentrification within communities, serves a great purpose because it creates from what is dead, helps rid of what was bringing down the community , and overall make the community more pleasurable for everyone’s that encounters within
Lance Freeman, an associate professor of urban planning in Columbia, wanted to investigate if there was any displacement going on in two predominantly black neighborhoods that was briskly gentrifying. Much to his dismay, he couldn’t find any correlation between gentrification and displacement. What was surprising to Freeman was his discovery, “poor residents and those without a college education were actually less likely to move if they resided in gentrifying neighborhoods”. (Sternbergh, 19) Freeman adds, “The discourse on gentrification, has tended to overlook the possibility that some of the neighborhood changes associated with gentrification might be appreciated by the prior residents.” (Sternbergh, 19)
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
Policies from HOLC and FHA approved of ethnic segregation and created many suburbs that clearly oppose their objective to address the imbalance in the community. Jackson criticizes how these programs “hastened the decay of inner-city neighborhoods by stripping them of much of their middle-class constituency” (206). However, while Jackson helps make sense of the role of the government in the suburban movement, Jackson sees that the process of suburbanization will slow down in the future. As more minorities entered the middle class, the proportion of minorities in the suburb will increase such that the stimulus to “white flight” will drop. In addition, due to limited availability of energy, high cost of land, credit, and
Bennie calls it “the takeover (70)” in the book. Gentrification is what its called when wealthy people and businesses move to low income areas and rebuild and move in and push out the low income businesses and families because this change makes it more expensive for families to live there. “The place that Sierra and Bennie used to get there hair done had turned into a fancy bakery of some kind, and yes, the coffee was good, but you couldn’t get a cup for less then three dollars. Plus everytime Sierra went in, the hip, young white kid behind the counter gave her either the don’t cause no trouble look or the I want to adopt you look(70).” While Izzy enjoys sitting in the new, expensive coffee shops and writing poetry, the threat in the changing culture is shown when Sierra is chased through the streets by spirits and no one in the white neighborhood will help her because they assume about her and think the worst of her for being
This chapter talks about the cultural, economic, and social effects and consequences of gentrification. The article focuses on Sydney and the character and causes of gentrification. Taste and aesthetics play a big role in housing and gentrification, which can influence how the housing economy changes. In chapter 11, the main topic of discussion
Gentrifying a once rundown neighborhood into a vibrant, more attractive environment is a trendy, urban operation that has been prevalent in Philadelphia. It has transformed the lives of many Philadelphians and the new community members that move into these neighborhoods tend to be young, wealthy, white folks. However, the former impoverished residents that are relocated and kicked out of these now newly gentrified neighborhoods are nevertheless part of the population and economic class that contribute to the landscape of the city. It is a shame to think the problem of poverty is pushed away in an apathetic manner. There should at least be a mix of housing options in these neighborhoods in order to keep the authenticity of the neighborhood.
Maintain status quo. According to a survey of mayors, most of them expressed desire for higher housing values. For them, the ideal neighborhood is “older areas that have maintained housing values.” In light with economic imperatives and logic, mayors need to prioritize economic growth.
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