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Pros And Cons Of Gentrification

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On the surface, gentrification looks like a great process that helps struggling areas. The problems only come when the residents are considered.
Besides the economic and population implications, there is also a huge cultural side to gentrification. Natives of an area usually have little to no say in what happens to them. Without input from residents, decisions are made that sound good in theory but are harmful in practice. In big cities, small neighborhoods are more important than ever. People need a sense of community in a deindividualized area, and that can be lost with gentrification. Natives don’t like the way outsiders try to redefine the community they’ve built. Malika Giddens, a Bushwick, Brooklyn native, says, “No one really cared …show more content…

These people are forced to adapt and try to create their own circumstances. Leaders and other outsiders only want to help when they see the potential for some kind of profit. Tough situations foster a sense of unification built on common experience. The homes and businesses built in these communities are important to the residents. When they’re pushed out, their role in the shared culture goes with them. Small towns share the same type of community. Everyone in a small town knows everything about a business owner; their family, their community involvement, and who they associate with. Neighborhoods in big cities are forced to make do with what they’ve been given, just like small, secluded towns. People know their neighbors, and when someone’s neighbor’s restaurant is bought out by a McDonald’s, they might not be very happy. The neglect of these areas is complicated and systematic. The further out you go in a city, the less modern and aesthetically pleasing the structures are.
When driving into a big city like Chicago, or even a smaller one like Minneapolis, there’s a drastic shift in the neighborhoods. The heart of the city has been beautified and is maintained to make it pleasing and

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