Gentrification In Globalization: A Case Study

Webster’s Dictionary defines gentrification as “the process of renewal and rebuilding accompanying the influx of middle-class or affluent people into deteriorating areas that often displaces poorer residents.” This sounds frightening to lower class citizens. However, Justin Davidson, author of “Is Gentrification All That Bad?” claims “Gentrification doesn’t need to be something that one group inflicts on another; often it’s a result of aspirations everybody shares.” Gentrification does not need to be the rich pushing the poor out. It can be the rich and the poor working together to make their city a wealthier and safer place to live. Gentrification improves communities by allowing more economic growth for all.

“Gentrification” captures class disparities and injustices created by capitalist urban land markets and policies. This in turn can cause an increasing house expense encumbrance for low-income and working-class households, and the associated personal catastrophes of displacement, removal, and homelessness, are symptoms of a set of institutional arrangements (private property rights and a free market) that support the creation of urban environments to serve the needs of capital accumulation at the expense of the social needs of home, community, family. Displacement from home and neighbourhood can be a shattering experience. At worst it leads to homelessness, at best it impairs a sense of community. Public policy should, by general agreement,

Gentrification is a practice that cultivates social displacement. This change is revealed in the change of the neighborhoods environmental aesthetics, engrossed by the belief that a rebirth of the older city was in the making.

“gentrification has been and still continues to be a critical task when it comes to urban geography of cities, such as New York City and cities around the world as well” (Smith, pg.129).

For the past two decades, gentrification has become a widely-known phenomenon in the U.S. as more wealthy cohorts of population move to quiet and cheap suburban areas instead of bearing the busy and costly lives in a big city. Changes brought by the influx of affluent newcomers in the suburban areas are often praised for fostering urban renewal as well as animating the areas’ local economy. However, the impacts of gentrification cause several types of new problems which now afflict long-time, low-income residents in “gentrifying” neighborhoods. With the soaring prices of the real estate market, landlords’ harassment against low-income tenants, and rising living expenses, gentrification further augments the inequality and conflicts between the poor and rich inhabitants.

Gentrification is not a new phenomenon, but in recent years it has become more prevalent due to many cities, especially low-income districts being renovated and rejuvenated by business and economic opportunities. Many of the cities that are being affected by gentrification are primarily sought out for renovation due to their location. Chris Hamnett views, “Gentrification as essentially a class-based process whereby working-class or rundown area of the city are transformed into middle-class residential areas often with attendant changes in commercial use” (Hamnett 467). Governments, states, and cities need to implement better the political, social and cultural neighborhood changes, including wider economic changes, related to gentrification, into the concept of displacement to understand the entirety and temporality of the process (Davidson 2389). It is easy to blame the incoming middle-class civilians for displacing the low-income/working class locals from their neighborhoods, but not having rent control is more at fault for the low-income residents' displacements.

Gentrification and displacement is not talked about as much as other social problems. Gentrification happens when rich people come to urban communities and change the socioeconomic and cultural characteristics of a community. Gentrification around the world is mainly happening in poor urban communities. The comparison of the Netherlands, London and Vancouver will explain cultural, social, and political displacement caused by the new age of urban renewal. Big corporations build up urban communities which bring economic stability to neighborhoods, and the low-income residents are forced out.

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.

Gentrification is also classified as the settlement of an area by a more modern people, as well as a younger and more ‘hip’ crowd. While they are willing to pay higher rent, it unfortunately causes a spike in taxes (Gentrification 1). Gentrification reached an all-time high in the 90s and 2000s. The sudden rejuvenation of urban areas “…led to the… rise in property values”(1). Older residents are no longer able to afford the higher rent that came along, causing them to relocate to more rural areas (1).

Gentrification can be defined as the shift from independent businesses to high end franchises, resulting in increase in property value, displacing long term community members and businesses, and changing the social class of the neighborhood. It is a form of structural violence as it denies some groups basic needs such as affordable housing and food security. Root causes of gentrification are family structure, job growth, lack of housing, traffic congestion, public sector policies, and racism.1 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists gentrification as a public health issue because where one lives plays a role in their health.1 It can affect one’ physical and mental health and whether the effects are entirely positive or negative is debatable. Some negative effects of gentrification include displacement, loss of affordable housing, homelessness, and loss of social diversity. Some positive effects include increase of property value, new businesses, and decrease in crime rates.

Gentrification takes place everywhere, in cities and suburbs across the globe. When upper- or middle-class families move into an area inhabited by those with lower socioeconomic standing rents increase, businesses close and lower-income residents are forced to leave. Where once a local convenience store catered to the needs of the nearby working-class, a posh new dance club adjoins a high-priced sushi bar (Garcia-Navarro). As a neighborhood grows more attractive to outsiders looking for an affordable place to live, locals are forced out of an area, a city, and often their jobs. This happens in urban areas all over the world, and one place where it has become particularly evident is the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro.

Gentrification is the result of renewing or rebuilding in urban neighborhoods , which has become a common controversial topic in urban planning. As the rise of gentrification increases basic upgrades such as sanitation and safety requirements are being put in the environment. Two distinct articles contemplate on the idea of gentrification are, The Independent’s “Artisan cafes and luxury flats: How bad can gentrification really be?” by Kashmira Gander from the June 2, 2016 and CNN News’ “American Opportunity: How gentrification may benefit the poor” by Patrick Gillespie from the November 12, 2015. Gander interprets gentrification does not improve the economy but affects the wellbeing of owners to be displaced and in greater terms lose their job and become homeless whilst in contrast Gillespie focuses on the benefits and the greater opportunities for the proletariat. Both articles differ on the topic between gentrification.

Everywhere throughout the nation, the cycle of gentrification is dislodging lower wage inhabitants. In most New York urban communities, the domination of the data age have altered conventional structures of urban life. Gentrification is characterized by the updating of once turmoiled urban neighborhoods by wealthy individuals who purchase and redesign the properties, in this manner removing the inhabitant poor. With most low to middle class employments transported abroad or lost to mechanization, proficient professional occupations and low paid administration occupations with few profits are taking their spot. The removal of low income citizens has a dramatic effect on the encomic balance in New York City between low wages, and poor living conditions.

Gentrification is a problem that is occurring in many communities. The city of Boyle Heights in East Los Angeles is one of the communities that the citizens of the community are notice new apartments build, galleries owner by rich people, and high prices for apartment the people are not able to afford to live there. Because the renewal of neighborhood environments that transform and attract middle and upper-class households and investors, creating problems for those who cannot afford rises of rents. According to O’Regan, “some of the biggest concerns about gentrification-potential displacement and increased rent burdens-are driven by rent or housing cost increases” (152). The only way to

Gentrification has been a controversial issue both in urban planning and politics primarily due to the displacement of poor people by the rich folks (Shaw & Hagemans, 2015). Many individuals have viewed gentrification as an illegal act that should be avoided at all costs. On the other hand, another group of people believe that gentrification is the way forward to promoting growth and development. With such contrasting ideas, this paper is going to take a look at gentrification from a positive and negative perspective, its effects, and how it can be prevented or contained. Apart from this, the paper will also address the following questions.