Great American Cities

As a New Yorker, the author bases his article in the big apple and starts it off by notifying the audience that New York residents are familiar with gentrifying all too well. Davidson continues on to state that “Gentrification doesn’t need to be something that one group inflicts on another…” (349), rather, he suggests that everyone be on the same page when it comes to developing their communities. Later on in the article Davidson brings up a vital point that Jonathan Rose, a “private do-gooder” developer presents, “…the key is to make sure that residents and shop-keepers in low-income neighborhoods have equity and a political voice, before a real estate surge” (352). The point the

(Lehrer et al., 2009). It is strongly recommended therefore that gentrification be recognized by the City as both a socio-spatial process that is highly unsustainable and socially unjust. Furthermore, we need to establish an understanding not just as an unfortunate by-product of market-led or state-facilitated development in Toronto's inner city (and beyond), but as an integral part of Toronto's planning as well as policy

The purpose of gentrification is to take struggling neighborhoods and stabilize them by investing in the neighborhood. Gentrification is “the rehabilitation and settlement of decaying urban areas by middle- and high-income investors.” (The Columbia Encyclopedia). These investors raise the value of the neighborhood by improving facilities and making the neighborhood look better. This doesn’t always benefit everyone since some citizens get displaced. However, the number of people displaced is very minor in

Gentrification is a method by which poor and working-class neighborhoods in the inner-city are redeveloped. It is a phenomenon that happens when low-income neighborhoods undergo alterations due to an influx of wealthier residents. Kelefa Sanneh starts his article on gentrification with a conversation about the word ghetto; its origins and how the word is now being used in the context of predominantly low-income African American communities. After discussing a debate among sociologists about the usage of the word ghetto, Sanneh points out an interesting turn in popular view: while the term ghetto was once used as an insult, people are now trying to preserve the communities that are described as a ghetto. Later, Sanneh discusses the different

Thesis: Gentrification may seem as a process to improve a community or district; however, the intention of renovating the area often lead to the displacement of the low-income community. Lance Freeman, an assistant professor in the Urban Planning Program at Columbia University, claimed that gentrification area, such as New York, are provided with affordable housing helping citizens to stay within gentrification region. However, in 2010 of Vancouver, Nathan Crompton of rabble.ca recite that “gentrification is no longer simply about rent and price... one could have searched and not found any semblance of a plan for affordable housing” (3-4). Crompton proved that the cities of Vancouver and New York showed varying differences.

Large amounts of people came from all over the world to the American cities during the colonial era. One of the main reasons why people migrated was because they were seeking religious freedom and better economic opportunity. In the American cities, there were more resources available to the people such as information that could be easily accessed, better paying jobs, high quality food supply, and transportation was provided and sometimes since the factories were located within the cities you didn’t require a car like you would in the rural areas. In the beginning of America’s industrial revolution, factories needed skilled workers. Most of the immigrants settled in New York, Chicago, and other places that contained their own people. Within these ethnic communities they tried to maintain their cultural customs from the country they were originally from. They could speak their own language, practice their religion, and continue traditions. Jews fled from Russia to prevent from getting prosecuted in their homeland. The British immigrants were the people who occupied these skills due to working in Britain in factories for such small amounts of pay. Europeans were having a hard time finding jobs at home, so they were not leaving Europe because they desired to, but because they had to in order to survive. Hundreds of people were suffering from hunger in their homeland and America was the way out of that distress. These immigrants had no skills, unfortunately, although they were

The great city of Washington D.C, founded in 1790, by great intellectuals, to control rest

This paper will discuss the social and political controversy of gentrification and its impact on low income neighborhoods. The term “gentrification” will be defined using scholarly resources. Research will also be conducted to determine whether gentrification has a negative or positive impact on low income neighborhoods. The goal of the paper will be to answer the following question: “How does gentrification of urban neighborhoods impact its residents?” This paper will uncover the many aspects of gentrification and provide clarity as to whether it can be seen as neighborhood revitalization or a strategic business move. Theoretical frameworks from proponents and opponents of gentrification will be highlighted to provide more information for

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 began to garner a great deal of attention from scholars, politicians, and the media soon after the phenomenon was first identified by Ruth Glass in the 1964 (Glass, 1964). Politicians and academics have debated[[delete,] what constitutes gentrification, whether gentrification is a legitimate means of improving the economy of metropolitan neighborhoods, or if the influx of wealthier residents into a low income neighborhood is more akin to an “invasion,,” an invasion which could lead to conflict along class and racial/ethnic lines as once public spaces are appropriated by corporate interests.

Urban decay is an issue in the United States and will cause the act of gentrification. Urban decay is current in most, if not all, inner cities of the United States. Middle and upper class avoid traveling around downtown cities in their state because they do not feel safe. Government and private markets are implementing gentrification to decaying urban areas. The positive effect of gentrification is that there will be a renovation of buildings and local businesses. This is a controversy because these renovations will be create a higher property and push out local businesses to implement new businesses to appeal gentrified citizens; ultimately, targeting the lower class by displacing them. “The Search for Marvin Gardens” by John McPhee and “Gentrification

Washington, D.C. is rapidly changing in front of the citizen’s eyes. It is becoming a victim of “The Plan,” a theoretical conspiracy plan construed by whites to take over D.C.’s real estate, physical space, and politics. Gentrification in Washington, D.C. can essentially be defined as a shift in the community to attract and accommodate newcomers at the expense of the current inhabitants. In Washington, four neighborhoods are currently in the process of gentrification: Barry Farm, Lincoln Heights/Richardson Dwellings, Northwest One and Park Morton. These particular neighborhoods were specifically targeted by the government for their high crime rates, significant population of impoverished citizens, and inclusion of a certain economic class.

Savitch outlines ways that sprawl can be harmful to the health and wellbeing of individuals living in these areas. The United States is vast and versatile, allowing for its inhabitants to move around and live in different climates or social environments. But, this freedom leads to the abandonment of neighborhoods and cities. Government resources such as building highways are put into developing cities but “Americans are incline to abandon industrial neighborhoods, sometimes leaving whole cities in favor of sprawl residential tracts, edge cities, and strip-zoned highways” (Savitch 2013:591). Those who can afford to move into suburbs leaves those of a lower socioeconomic status with less resources. “When people and jobs evaporate, so too does

Recently I read a book titled The Death and Life of Great American Cities written by Jane Jacobs (1961), which basically criticizes the urban planning processes generally employed in the planning, renovation and rebuilding of cities. Though it was published in 1961, the book is still considered a relevant piece of work and offers great insight to the various and sometimes ignored or unseen facets of the way a city organizes itself despite the city planning process. The book is considered many professionals involved in the planning and design of cities a “must read” even today. In the book, Jacob’s states that she has identified four criteria which must be present in an urbanized environment for it to be place which will naturally promote a self-sustaining, and resilient socioeconomic character. The set of the four criteria can be used a framework and a tool that will aid the planning process of the “new urbanism.” The wave of change to be more sustainable is gaining some steam at present in Phoenix. Which is a relatively large (7 million people) in the metropolitan area which is located in the southwest United states. The City of Phoenix is my employer and where I currently reside. Therefore, it must be said, that my conclusion’s may have some element of bias in them even though I will make a very concerted effort to avoid it. I expect that my evaluation of the presence or absence of the four criteria will provide a point of reference which can be used to predict the

In our lives today, we take advantage of all the luxuries that are presented daily. Freedom alone is one of the greatest luxuries we possess as an American nation. In Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs and Utopia by Thomas Moore, we are presented two life styles, which some might consider very similar in various ways. Both authors focus on a peaceful living lifestyle, to better the people of the nation. Although some of their specific details are different, I believe that Jacobs would definitely approve of the features that More develops in Utopia.