A Cultural, Social, And Economic Transformation

When a neighborhood is gentrified it will not only change the image of it, but also the services available there (Al-Kodmany 2011, 62-63). In other words, gentrification does not only have an impact on the physical aspect of the land, but also the resources that lie there. During the 90s, the Near West Side neighborhood located near Loop, an up-scale neighborhood, sought drastic changes within the area. The changes in racial demographics in the Near West Side indicated that the health risks that affected minorities dropped in the past decade (1992-2002) (Al-Kodmany 2011,

I read nine article that discusses various aspects of gentrification from health issues to detreated housing condition and ethnic cleansing. In my rough draft, I thought discussing only one side of Harlem gentrification might confuse readers because all of the subjects are linked to each other. Therefore, I took main the main ideas from each of the nine articles and discussed them chronologically in my rough draft to give audience a better understanding of the series of events that shaped today’s Harlem. In doing so, I failed to follow the instructions. Thanks to Professor Poltrack’s feedback, I was able to focus on one article and discuss Harlem’s gentrification more effectively. In my final draft, I found to easier to analyze and interpret the meaning of article because I concentrated on one particular subject. Going forward, I will read the instructions carefully, underline the key points and talk to Prof Poltrack if I have any question about the

The gentrification process can be seen through the demographic and physical changes of the South Parkdale neighborhood. Gentrification is “the invasion of working-class areas by the upper- and middle-classes, who upgrade shabby, modest housing into elegant residences, resulting in the displacement of all, or most of the original working-class occupiers”. (Lyons, 1996) South Parkdale is a neighborhood in downtown Toronto that faces problems of gentrification. This problem has been ongoing since the nineteen fifty’s’.

Williams’ provides another quote, Rene Goodwin, a resident who has grown up in the city, “ To keep an urban are vital, there has to be an infusion of new people and buildings, but that doesn’t mean you destroy people who have kept up the neighborhood, who’ve swept the sidewalk”, she states. Gentrification does not always have to be in with the new and out with the old. “It’s that commitment that has made developers interested in the neighborhood and then you’re going to penalize the people who have stayed? ” Goodwin continues. Williams’ also adds that city officials need to congratulate and thank the longtime faithful residents who have been with the

Zukin, an avid advocate for authenticity, discussed in detail how cities are losing their authenticity. Zukin described authenticity as “a continuous process of living and working, a gradual buildup of everyday experience.” The issue is many cities are that people are now coming and going all the time to the point where everyone stays a stranger to one another, shops are always being closed and changed, and nothing is ever around long enough to create a culture that leads to authenticity. Gentrification is taking away many neighborhoods authenticity as many corporate leaders and politicians look to “clean up” areas which usually has to deal with people of color that are poor. Authenticity and racial diversity are traded for capital. This leads to segregation of less fortunate individuals and families of color. When governments or businesses try and gentrify different neighborhoods they rely on laws, pressure, and lie in order to remove the people who live in these areas.

The neighborhood of Williamsburg, Brooklyn is one of the best-known cases of recent gentrification. Prior to the gentrification taking place, Williamsburg was known for being a warehouse district that also doubled as an enclave for Hispanic and Hasidic Jews (Our Brooklyn: Williamsburg, Brooklyn Public Library). However, in 2005, zone changes were approved that allowed for more housing to be created in Williamsburg and made it so that only light manufacturing could take place in Williamsburg (Curran, 2004). and explores the challenges that gentrification has presented the neighborhood’s longtime residents. While one of the goals of the change in zoning was to create more affordable housing options in Brooklyn, the opposite has occurred.

Bobby Lefebre says, “Watching everything I love about my neighborhood slowly walk into a mere memory is disheartening. It seems like every day there is a new institution, business, or mural being cleared away to make room for the new.” This quote not only helps you understand just how upsetting gentrification is to people who were rooted in these areas, but also how the original atmosphere is no longer apart of the neighborhood. These Chicanos, are not saying that people of other races or backgrounds cannot live in these neighborhoods as well, they just want it to be the same tight knit group of people who are able to help each other out and provide information to people of the same background. The idea of a tight knit community plays an important role in preservation and is imperative to these individual’s survival. Bobby Lefebre also writes, “Let’s honor our past by ensuring Northside communities of all backgrounds are not erased. Let’s work together to preserve our diverse traditions and cultural artifacts; even if preservation means creating things anew.” Even though gentrification is happening in multiple neighborhoods, there is still ideas for how to keep the original feel and the historical value that people who have lived in the area for a long time would benefit from and help give peace of mind, with the changes that are happening in their neighborhood. The ongoing stories of these people can remain in the neighborhood and will grow with them as well as the growing communities. Jolie Diepenhorst comments at the end of Bobby Lefebre’s article and her comment is another voice for how truly upsetting gentrification is to people and the history of the area. She says, “This is a beautifully written piece that illustrates everything that is

Coney Island is a peninsular residential neighborhood in the southwestern part of the borough of Brooklyn, New York City. It is about 4 miles long and 0.5 miles wide. It is a home for 22,764 people. Coney Island is also a very diverse neighborhood. According to city-data, 51.2% of residents were White, 29.3% were Black, 18% were Hispanic or Latino, and 3.8% were Asian. The term “gentrification” was first coined in 1964 by Ruth Glass. Glass observed; "One by one, many of the working class quarters have been invaded by the middle class - upper and lower ... Once this process of 'gentrification ' starts in a district it goes on rapidly until all or most of the working class occupiers are displaced and the whole social social character of the district is changed" (Glass, 1964, p.xvii). Since then, many places started getting gentrified. Because of this, thousands of poor working class people lost their home. As an icon of New York City, there are definitely that the state government want to gentrify Coney Island in order to attract more investors to come start their business in here. However, even though local residents who have been lived in Coney Island for many years think gentrification is a good thing, but at the same time they are trying to save

Davidson begins his article with arguably one of the most notable and recent subjects of gentrification, 1520 Sedgwick, the birthplace of Hip-Hop. This dilapidated apartment building’s owners “announced they planned to leave New York State’s Mitchell-Lama programe” (pg. 2), which would result in the current residents evictions. Essentially the program offered tax incentives to building owners who limit equity to maintain low cost units. However, in lieu of tax incentives many building owners have elected to leave the program in order to make more profit via higher costing units, which current residents cannot afford. In the case of 1520 Sedgwick current and former residents, such as the credited father of Hip-Hop Kool Herc, have veiled their mission to prevent the gentrification process from consuming their building by petitioning for a historic listing as well as offering to

The term Gentrification was coined by a British Sociologist Ruth Glass to describe the movement of middle class families in urban areas causing the property value to increase and displacing the older settlers. Over the past decades, gentrification has been refined depending on the neighborhood 's economic, social and political context. According to Davidson and Less’ definition, a gentrified area should include investment in capital, social upgrading, displacement of older settlers and change in the landscape (Davidson and Lees, 2005).Gentrification was perceived to be a residential process, however in the recent years, it has become a broader topic, involving the restructuring of inner cities, commercial development and improvement of facilities in the inner city neighborhoods. Many urban cities like Chicago, Michigan and Boston have experienced gentrification, however, it is affecting the Harlem residents more profoundly, uprooting the people who have been living there for decades, thus destroying the cultural identity of the historic neighborhood.

Gentrification is the extensive process of rejuvinating a specific part of a city and or town that has been soddened with poverty and deterioration, due to an underlying neglect. These attempts at re-birth of a city are becoming more and more prevalent, so it draws out the overwhelming question, is it helpful or harmful to developing neighborhoods? Gentrification can not be topical with kitchy coffee shops where you pay for the ambience which includes pretty foliage potted in whimsical objects that are all being re-purposed, sitting on rustic wooden tables that are adorned with industrial furnishings. As well as the overpriced fair trade cup of coffee that the pretentious barista contrieves. And the ostentatious frozen yougurt shops will walls

Viewing the complex matter of gentrification succinctly, it helps to uncover how multifaceted it is; in that gentrification involves the oppression, marginalization, displacement of vulnerable populations, particularly, the poor, and the black who are often already negatively impacted by the effects of classism, and racism. Gentrification threatens to erode the communities and livelihood maintained by these set of people because their displacement becomes a precondition for the total transformation of the area.

Through listening to excerpts from the oral histories of former Fulton residents I learned the impact of urban renewal directly from a resident’s perspective. The effect of urban renewal on Fulton residents not only caused a division within the community but it destroyed resident’s childhood memories. In one of the excerpts Bernadette Tart Clark recalls growing up in Fulton, and mentions how hurtful it has been to know that the history of her early child hood has been erased. She stated that it seemed as if her childhood didn’t even exist. She also discussed the unity of the community prior to urban renewal and stated that even with the new developments in the community, Fulton will never be the same.

When Jacobs published her book, racial tensions and large move to the suburbs compromised the future of cities. She preferred corner stores over big chains, but she did not realize that these big chain stores could provide jobs. Cities, she said, should should have people from different income, ethnic, and racial living contiguously. She was against city planners tearing down old neighborhoods and constructing tall apartment blocks. Jacobs’ viewpoint was based on middle-class neighborhoods and families. “A metropolitan economy, if it is working well, is constantly transforming many poor people into middle-class people, many illiterates into skilled people, many greenhorns into competent citizens. … Cities don’t lure the middle class. They create it.” (Jacobs 1961:288) Jacobs’ book is an attack on city planning and urban renewal, but that is not the core issues cities are facing. Her approach is focused on Nostalgia. Nostalgia takes people back to the way things when cities had much smaller residences, an eye on the street and small corner stores. She did not like big chain stores, but what she did not understand was big chain stores means availability of jobs, and more money for the working class. But without fixing the core of

In today’s society, it may seem that gentrification can eliminate poverty and increase neighborhood opportunities. Low-income residents and property owners will be the first to be altered by gentrification. In an email to the editor at the Atlantic, Freeman, the director of the Urban Planning program at Columbia states “ Gentrification brings new amenities and services that benefit not only the newcomers but long term residents too. Full service