Pros And Cons Of Urban Gentrification

All over the country, the cycle of gentrification is displacing lower-income residents. Gentrification usually done by middle class themselves, without developers, and without much help from government. In most American cities, as sociologist William Julius Wilson has argued, de-industrialization and the ascendancy of the information age have inverted traditional structures of urban life. With most factory jobs shipped abroad or lost to automation, professional white-collar jobs and low-paid service jobs with few benefits are taking their place. Meanwhile, white-collar workers eager for convenience and a neighborhood are flocking back to the central cities. Even though, gentrification may not seem to be a major deal in our society, the poor

But agents of “urban gentrification are not the strictly economic creatures” (Lampe), they are thought to be. While most, perceiving themselves to be transient, may opt for cash-rent housing, many have a long-term commitment to city living. An abundance of large, older homes sited on small lots along wide residential streets characterizes the near-downtown neighborhoods of most older U.S. cities. Possibly vacant but typically not abandoned, much of this housing is in serious disrepair, requiring the replacement of major systems, including plumbing, wiring and heating. When properly renovated and rehabilitated, such homes offer a variety of advantages like abundant space at a low cost per square foot, elegant architectural appointments, and proximity to downtown employment opportunities and arts and entertainment amenities. The poor have very little political or economic defense against developers who want to buy up their crumbling apartments and rehab them into luxury condos and lofts, and city and state governments are only too pleased to ease the way for this