The Effects Of Gentrification On The Community

Gentrification is the process of renovating and improving a house or district so that is conforms to middle class taste. The term is often used negatively, suggesting the displacement of poor communities by rich outsiders. Often people who are displaced cannot find affordable housing, and this can lead to homelessness. Gentrification is hurting Colorado families because 1.) it causes prices increases for Denver metro rents, 2.) it displaces and breaks up families, and 3.) offers no affordable housing options for those displaced. () Definition.

Gentrification is damaging neighborhoods because it forcibly displaces the lower income residents on the streets to make room for luxurious more expensive apartments. The term gentrification means to conform to middle-class taste, which is exactly what is happening to places like the Mission District, Placita Olvera Street, East Los Angeles, and many more urban areas. Not only are our neighborhoods being gentrified, but also so is our food.

Now days walking down the streets of Atlanta, we see the new neighborhoods consisting of condos, Starbucks, yoga classes and Chipotle. Gentrification is a growing problem in urban areas as the influx of the riches have caused the displacement of lower class families due to higher economic demands and local politics. According to Diane K. Levy, Jennifer Comey and Sandra Padilla (2005), “We define gentrification as the process whereby higher-income households move into low income neighborhoods, escalating the area’s property values to the point that displacement occurs. In addition to changes in economic class, gentrification often involves a change in a neighborhood’s racial and ethnic composition…” (p.1). Though gentrification has lasting affects on the economic status of cities, there are also repercussions that not only effect working individuals but also the students that attend school in these gentrified areas. When areas are gentrified, schools are rezoned thus leading to long lasting consequences that students must face. Some believe that gentrification is beneficial to a growing economy in a growing city, but the realities of the its lasting effects on education are often left under the radar. The issues that lie within the education system as it pertains to gentrification include day segregation and unequal opportunities between affluent and low-income areas.

Despite many Latino’s being entrepreneurs and owning manufacturing companies, construction firms, restaurants, and real estate. Latino communities still seem to be suffering because of the lack of wealth generation. Many Hispanics have called Humboldt Park home for many years but recently that has been changing over the years. Humboldt Park used to be a primarily Hispanic neighborhood and because of the lack of wealth generation along with other factors the neighborhood has been going through gentrification. Gentrification is the arrival of wealthier people in an existing urban district which results in an increase in rents and property values, and changes in the district's character and culture. The term is often used negatively, suggesting

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.

According to Stacey Sutton, PhD, member of the Department of Urban Planning and Policy, in her New York Tedx talk, gentrification is fundamentally a social justice problem.” This means that gentrification has many effects to its neighborhood and its residents. One main problem that gentrification had brought was displacement. Due to changes in the urban neighborhood, prices of living had increased, where many of the renters have no choice than to leave the neighborhood because it's unaffordable. As Tom Slater, an urban geographer, said, “gentrification is the spatial expression of economic inequality.” When higher class people moved to an urban area and invest and take advantage to a low property, it raised the property value and displaced the people who cannot afford it, hence, the low income people.

In addition, gentrification has several ways of being creeping into our neighborhood but at the end the outcomes have been quite similar. Our society has always viewed neighborhoods were minorities live in as being the ghettos, slums, or ‘hoods of America. When many of us come across an urbanized area we generally assume violence, drug trafficking, and overall social pathologies strive these places. Once we hear these “ghetto’s” are under going gentrification, we have a sense of relief and we feel there is hope for these communities. Gentrification may seem a blessing to an urban community by many, but if it were to be closely examine it we would find out it isn’t. Although the process has solved many economic issues within cities by providing employment opportunities, increases in property tax revenues and has diminished violence, the aftermath is far worse. (Freeman) Gentrification has increased the

Gentrification brings positive long term effects to communities and cities nationwide. Direct results of gentrification for both the residents and the city are the economical growth, local job opportunities created and a higher tax base available. (Stacey Sutton, Urbanly planning Scholar, defined gentrification as): Gentrification is the process of higher status people renovating lower class urban neighborhoods to satisfy middle-higher class standards (Sutton, 2015). In the process of gentrification throughout the United States, it is positively impacting the economy in more ways than one. One benefit of gentrification is the economical growth residents benefit from.

Gentrification in Chicago is kicking thousands of low income people out of their homes, but can it be a good thing? “Gentrification is the process of renewing and renovating urban, low-income neighborhoods, usually to help accommodate middle and upper class citizens causing an increase in property values. This often leads to many lower class residents abandoning the community and the foot print they may have left there. The nice part of this act is that it can put a good impact on the city and its economy. But who is this affected the most and how can we help? I know that this act can hurt a lot of people, but I do believe it has more positive effects than negative.

Gentrification needs to stop. People’s lives have been adversely affected by higher income individuals moving into their neighborhood. It happens in really poor, neglected areas where rich suburban people move into those poor neighborhoods and change everything, supposedly making them better. While trying to “better” the community, the new property owners are knocking down houses in neighborhoods like East Austin with great historical value to build higher priced residences, raising the property value which makes low income families struggle to keep their heads above water.

An issue that that was discussed in class that was resonant to me was on the issue of gentrification. Gentrification is known as the process of renovating and renewing deteriorating communities that are often home of low income families in order to conform to the taste of the middle class. This concept has been taking place for years in a variety of locations all over the country such as San Francisco, New York City and even Los Angeles. I live in an area in Los Angeles known as highland park which is a location that has slowly been gentrified and has altered the lives of many people I know around me. The neighborhood that I am from has slowly been changing due to the fact that it is so close to a very prestigious and well known private college

The gentrification process is a trend in urban neighborhoods, which results in increased property values and the displacing of lower-income families and small businesses(Sims1994-1999). Many cities around the world have begun to adapt in order to bring in new revenue. This process is being done blindly, because the apparent change is not quite noticeable but the damage is being done. The fact that there is damage being done speaks volumes at the fact that this process is being done in a way that harms many children and schools. The toll that this process is taking on public education and minority families is rather clear. Families are being displaced from their homes and relocated to god knows where.

So with spatial mismatch becoming a bigger issue as time went by, city gentrification became a routine for all cities creating even more disparity in ranges of wealth. People who have lived in their homes for a long time are now being forced out by plans to incorporate more businesses and malls. Property taxes began rising and as the city centers changed, people weren’t able to afford products in their own communities anymore. They dispersed to different sectors of the city, some moving completely out of the city. Gentrification not only affects where people live. It also affects local businesses. Small business owners can’t keep up with the rent because the community around the owners are now very high in value with new businesses, condos,

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.

Since the early 2000s, gentrification accelerated in various New York City neighborhoods. Data shown that about 29.8 percent of New York City has been affected by gentrification in low-income communities (Governing Data 1). This is over a 20 percent increased from the previous decade in New York City alone. Gentrification is a term used to describe displacement or renewal in urban neighborhoods as a result of increasing property values and rent prices. Gentrification has existed since the 1960s but has rapidly increased since then . Gentrification has now become a common and global controversial topic in many low-income neighborhood. Although, gentrification hasn’t always been bad from increasing job opportunities to lowering crime rates. Gentrification has impacted and transformed underprivileged districts in New York City. However, at the advantage of who ? Thus, gentrification has only increased average rates of poverty and infused neighborhoods with “white privilege”.