Urban Decay in Hong Kong

There has been a recent phenomenon throughout the United States of gentrification. As older parts of neighborhoods are occupied by new tenants with money, the neighborhood changes and loses its old character. Those who might have lived in those neighborhoods their entire lives are pushed out as rents begin to skyrocket and the surroundings begin to change. This has happened in many neighborhoods. One of the most well known is San Francisco, where technology companies have brought in new software engineers that have caused local rents to skyrocket and people to move out of the area. However, just as importantly has been the influx of new money to Brooklyn, where local neighborhood changes have forced people from their homes, traditional music to be replaced, and old businesses to go bankrupt.

This included Air, land and water polluting, derelict warehouses and churches, high levels of graffiti, and also a large amount of traffic congestion. Some houses were in such a poor state, that they fell down with people living in them, resulting in a number of tragic deaths. The city had rapidly fallen into a state of ‘inner city decay.’

Tenement buildings are run down buildings, mostly in the city. Poor families and mostly poor immigrants would live inside these buildings. Tenement buildings were very unhealthy to live in. A danger that families had to face in these buildings was that they were run down. Run down buildings could fall apart and the ceilings could be tore. Also, the buildings could have mold and people can get sick from breathing in mold, laying on mold, or ingesting mold. Tenements were also small and crowded with people, so if someone gets sick in the tenement it will spread very fast to the whole family. Tenement buildings are also very unsanitary. There were outhouses outside the buildings and these outhouses would stink up the neighborhood. Outhouses are unsanitary because the waste inside them would be stuck inside them for a long time and that can attract bugs. Furthermore, outside these tenements in the backyard, were mud and animal feces all over the place. Along with the mud and animal waste children would try to play outside but, it would be to dirty for them to go outside and play. Fires were one of the many dangers that people in tenement buildings had to face. If there was a fire it would be hard for tenement residents to evacuate the building because there was no fire escapes. Likewise, tenements residents could also have fire hazards like cigarettes or

In Baltimore, the abandoned houses allowed investors to buy the houses and turn them into luxury condominiums and houses. In turn, this encourages other companies to continue to develop condominiums and houses and abandon the development of low-income housing. This cycle is called gentrification, but it is disguised as restoration to the city

Over a period of time, parts of cities tend to decay in the sense that they are not as modern as other parts or they have simply been neglected. This may include disused factories, railway yards and dockyard areas as well as residential areas. This process is known as urban decay and effected areas are often referred to as ‘blighted zones’ of the city. In the case of Sydney, urban decay is evident in the poorer quality terrace housing suburbs such as Newtown, Pyrmont, Ultimo, Glebe and Redfern, former railway workshops and yards such as Eveleigh in Redfern, former dock and railway areas in Darling Harbour and Pyrmont and former factory areas in Zetland and Rhodes. (ref. map on page 4).

Gentrification can be defined simply as the shift in the makeup of the people in a community. It is the transition in a community from a run down, poorer area to a more wealthy demographic. Gentrification starts with the increase of property values caused by brokers and real estate agents. These brokers and real estate agents usually benefit the most from gentrification. Businesses that are moving in are storefront coffee shops, cafes, boutiques, etc. Since these newer, nicer shops are occupying the storefront, the rent for the apartments above rise, causing many people to lose their homes. The new tenants that move into these apartments are typically young and hip. They prefer to hang out at these coffee shops below. These new landlords are more in touch with the demographic changes and are looking to change the area in order to make money. The older, current landlords do not see a need for change. Some people will argue that gentrification is inevitable. While gentrification is happing all over the world, I did my research specifically on downtown Kansas City, Missouri, Harlem, New York, and DUMBO, Brooklyn, New York. Gentrification comes with both positive and negative effects. These three areas each show a unique perspective on gentrification.

Housing and Zoning Crowded, lots of brick and cement; few parks, cars parked very closely together on street. Some areas show severe urban blight.

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

Overrapid urbanization brought undesirable byproducts such as slums, feeble street lighting, bad policing, and poor garbage disposal

During the past few years, gentrification has been on an uprise.“Nearly 20 percent of neighborhoods with lower incomes and home values have experienced gentrification since 2000, compared to only 9 percent during the 1990s.” Gentrification is happening in areas that supposedly need a change, such as the low-income neighborhoods in New York City, Minneapolis, Seattle and Washington, D.C.Factors such as uniqueness, accessibility, the energy of the neighborhood and reasonably priced homes attract gentrifiers. It has altered many cities in the country. Gentrification can be defined as the procedure of reestablishment and remaking due to the flood of prosperous individuals into falling apart and low-income areas that frequently displaces poorer

According to The Oxford English Dictionary, gentrification is defined as the renovation and improvement of a house or district so that it conforms to middle-class taste (Oxford English Dictionary). This definition absolutely fits the description of the current transformation of the inner City of Baltimore. When we look at neighborhoods such as Westport, Federal Hill, and Canton, it is evident that gentrification is on the City of Baltimore’s agenda. During the last two terms that Mayor Martin O’Mally has presided over the city, there have been many changes in administration and the population that are causing devastating effects on the city’s blue collar residents. The Baltimore City

As Urban renewal ramped up in the 1960’s sections of the inner city were torn down, which in turn

The gentrification of a neighborhood can bring the neighborhood down as a whole. It changes the neighborhood in a negative way. The many families who were displaced and driven out by the gentrification process took the great qualities which make the neighborhood a whole with them. The feeling of friendliness in the community was driven out with its old residents. You used to be able to walk down the street and see five or six people you knew to have a nice conversation about sports or the weather with turning a five minute trip to the supermarket into a 30 minute trip. This doesn’t happen anymore, the neighborhoods are being filled with more

How exactly does a neighborhood become gentrified? First, analyze the word. According to Dictionary.com, gentrification is defined as, “the buying and renovation of houses and stores in deteriorated urban neighborhoods by upper- or middle-income families or individuals, thus improving property values but often displacing low-income families and small businesses” (“Gentrification | Define Gentrification at Dictionary.com”). Usually, the terminology has a negative connotation associated with the meaning. Considering that the phrase links affluent residents, mostly white, to capitalizing on inexpensive real estate located within the ghetto. This was recognized in Bed-Stuy during the mid-nineties. Furthermore, the newcomers are eventually praised

Issues in British inner city estates There is increasing evidence that poverty, unemployment and social stress are all now seen in British Inner Cities. There are many problems which the areas face, both physically and even in some cases mentally: 1.the physical fabric of the buildings, many originally built using cheap materials and methods, is deteriorating rapidly. However the councils are trying to upgrade these poor housing conditions gradually.