Urban Gentrification

Gentrification is a fast growing process in most cities today. Displacement through gentrification has many side effects for low-income families. Gentrification is a major problem; it is the displacement of people of lower socioeconomic status and replacing them with people of higher economic status, raising the property rates on these gentrified properties so that the lower classes can no longer afford to live there and further creating social inequality among the citizens of our community. We take broken parts of town and convert them into lavish attractions for visitors and natives. These so-called broken parts of town have residents who can no longer afford to live in these parts. This displacement pushes the lower classes out and forces

Gentrification is the process of renovating and improving a district so that it conforms to a middle-class taste. Some may see this as a bad thing, that by conforming to new standards the residents are compromising the culture of

For example, landlords who think the properties in the piece of land are worth charging more for the original renters, which leads to higher income households entering the neighborhood, or may harass renters to empty the house for the purpose of filling in these new households. Other residents, finding that friends and family have been "evicted", may follow these social networks to maintain the original living. From past research, several indicated that low income households were relocated to areas nearby their previous locations. However, recent research showed that displacement is now likely to push such households to the boundaries of cities. Consequently, low wage labor in these cities find more difficult to relocate and most households suffer great stress in relocating some distance away from the supporting networks of local family and friends, which can also impose psychosocial problems to those

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

Inspired by european city rebuilding projects, American cities started clearing away older neighborhoods and creating grand avenues with impressive buildings. The only problem with the growing population was finding housing for the new residents. In Document 6 Nash explains how urban geography changed with emerging central businesses, few people living downtown, middle class residential areas stretched out beyond working class neighborhoods, and the growth of the suburbs which led to better transportation. Many of the rich lived in palatial mansions in the heart of the city while the moderately well to do took advantage of less expensive land on the outer edges of the city thus leading to what was known as the growth of the suburbs. However the poor could not afford housing in the city or in the suburbs and this led to the growth of tenement housing. Tenements were supposed to be great improvements in housing for the poor however they soon became known as “miserable abodes” that were overcrowded and had little to no indoor plumbing or central heating. The growing population also led to transportation problems. The downtown streets were usually too narrow for the heavy traffic that moved through them and most were not paved producing either a lot of mud or a cloud of dust. These problems led to what would later become known as mass

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) Essentially, we can concur that a blighted neighborhood that goes through gentrification doesn’t displace the current residents living there, but in fact makes the residents want to stay. With gentrification the area becomes safer, more businesses open up and the neighborhoods become a welcoming, family friendly place to live. Without gentrification a blighted neighborhood stays, as is, a neglected area that doesn’t attract businesses or

For the last 170 years, maybe longer, there has been a recurring displacement of local inhabitants from their native land or community. Motives ranging from greed in relations to an expansion of land and wealth or just wanting a change in “scenery”. While such actions can indeed have a positive outcome on the person doing the action it may not work out for the people it's happening to. Such examples are The Trail of Tears & the modern day Gentrification of the Chicago South Side. The Trail of Tears was the forced relocation of thousands of Native Americans from their native land in Southeastern U.S to the Mississippi River. While gentrification is the removal of lower income minorities from a deteriorated urban neighborhood in hopes to “revive

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

By this logic things can also be gentrified because gentrification is more about taking someones lifestyle as opposed to their economic assets. Having visited many recently gentrified neighborhoods, like North Park in San Diego, I have noticed that the people who live and work their aren’t trying to develop the area in an economically profitable way, but instead fit a certain “aesthetic.” New residents keep some of the grit of the old neighborhood and then add fancy coffee shops, boutiques, record stores, and other niche businesses that are usually associated with a more bohemian lifestyle. My opinion on Staley’s claim is also informed by my parents and their experiences. My mom grew up in Brooklyn and I went back to her old neighborhood with my family when I was a kid. When we visited the deli my family used to go to, the original owners were still there and remembered my mom and her siblings. For my mom, visiting her old neighborhood and seeing it very much unchanged made her feel like a part of her childhood was preserved. When we went to Williamsburg in 2015 my mom felt lost and anxious. Her old burrow, an area that she identifies with, had become unrecognizable to her. She may not have been priced out of property, but she had still lost something valuable. So, I do agree with Staley’s central claim. However, I think Staley was missing one qualifying statement.

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. However, what is happening now in Yonkers is the reverse effect. This decrease in value can be attributed to the current state of Getty Square and the homeless. Yet, this statistic will not last forever. In fact, the fervor the Mayor has for this project will ultimately force him to make a critical decision: continue to rebuild Yonkers while still maintaining a place for the homeless, or get rid of them in order to increase rent

Most people can pinpoint the changes that occurred in their urban areas; they noticed more non-native individuals move into their urban neighborhoods, following them came the increase of rent and the change of scenery. There was always a name for this issue, but it never surfaced until the late 1990’s. The term Gentrification comes from British sociologist Ruth Glass. “Once this process of gentrification starts in a district it goes on rapidly until all or most of the original working class occupiers are displaced and the social character of the district is changed”. (Kissam 2) This epidemic has taken many urban neighborhoods by storm, From Chicago, Philadelphia, Houston, and the most common Brooklyn. Between The year 2000 and 2010 the Percentage

As outlined in chapter 10 of the course text, inequality in housing and wealth is a major problem. The United States is described to be the most unequal countries in the western hemisphere. But with the inequalities when it comes to wealth, the United States is one of the richest countries in the world. Wealth is the sum total of a person’s assets. These assets include, cash in the bank and value of all properties, not only land but houses, cars, stocks, and bonds, and retirements savings. Wealth is one of the factors why residential segregation is an increasing problem.

Too often neighborhoods which have been historically disinvested and demonized become prime real estate targets for development with the expectation

Soon there will be no home for minorities and lower income in San Francisco. The districts of San Francisco soon will lose all its original dwellers to the high demands of the Bay Area. The new, “improved” population is overtaking a district such as the Mission that historically has been home to Central and South American immigrants. As you stroll down Valencia Street, once home to taquerias, bakeries, bars and auto mechanic shops, one can instantly see the difference. The addition of organic ice cream shops, chain restaurants, luxury condominiums, and cafes serving beignets and soy lattes are steadily replacing the 99-cent stores, sex shops, thrift stores, and local markets of the city’s original working-class Latino neighborhood. As San Francisco has become one of the hottest living destinations for the new techies that have moved to the Silicon Valley, the Mission has become one of the liveliest locations in the city. After Mark Zuckerberg’s purchase of an apartment in the mission, it was a must live area for young yuppies and techies. The center of the city has historically been home to Mexican and Central American immigrants whose large families live in small apartments in narrow Victorians and older buildings. Even though the local flavor is still here, the housing prices

In order to understand our statistical data, we must first accurately grasp the definitions of gentrification and displacement. Gentrification means a demographic or physical change that conforms to the middle class. The financial definition of middle class means that a single individual or household makes between $50k-120k annually. Uniquely, displacement is the removal of something or someone by something else that takes their place. In our case, looking at gentrification in the San Francisco area within the last 10 years will possibly birth an explanation as to why Artist displacement is/was on the rise. San Francisco was once notorious for its urban renewal that lowered housing affordability for its displaced residents. Starting in the