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.
There are existing organizations such as the National Low Income Housing Coalition, National Alliance to End Homelessness, and World Food Program USA which fight to prevent homelessness and food insecurity, consequences of gentrification. However, there is still room for improvement. Also, there remains a gap in research regarding gentrification and whether it improves or deteriorates health. It is important to note that there seems to be a lack of current research about gentrification. Moreover, much of the research conducted about gentrification did not take place in the United States.
The purpose of this project was to evaluate how the shift in businesses caused by gentrification affect the standard of living. In my paper, I will delve deeper into how gentrification affects displacement and homelessness, as well as, food insecurity and what impact this has on health. My team was tasked with observing signs of gentrification in the neighborhoods we mapped and collecting data about the existing businesses. I was responsible for comparing the data we collected with previous data regarding businesses in the same neighborhood.
The agency I worked with was MAPSCorps through Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center. MAPSCorps’
Gentrification has greatly changed the face of Oakland so far in the 21st century. New shops and people are moving in at record numbers, greatly increasing the median income of the city; however, many long-term residents are being evicted due to increasing property values and rent prices. Many are also outraged at the loss of Oakland’s strong cultural roots, but at the same time, in low income areas, crime rates have greatly reduced and academic performance has increased. This begs the question: In what ways has gentrification positively and negatively affected Oakland so far in the 21st century?
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
When a neighborhood is gentrified it will not only change the image of it, but also the services available there (Al-Kodmany 2011, 62-63). In other words, gentrification does not only have an impact on the physical aspect of the land, but also the resources that lie there. During the 90s, the Near West Side neighborhood located near Loop, an up-scale neighborhood, sought drastic changes within the area. The changes in racial demographics in the Near West Side indicated that the health risks that affected minorities dropped in the past decade (1992-2002) (Al-Kodmany 2011,
During my interview, Dr. Owens let me know that the U.S. Census Bureau stopped collecting data on income, and referred me to the American Community survey. Furthermore, she gave me feedback on my index for gentrification, and made the suggestion to exclude race and ethnicity since affluent racial minorities can contribute to gentrification. By specifying the factors investigating and listing my assumptions, I give the a general idea of why I think that these factors are important to the operationalization of gentrification, and support my choices with what has been done in past studies. In the discussion section, I reason why this study is significant and how it could lead to subsequent policy changes. By outlining ways in which different audiences can benefit from this study, I show that in addition to extending the existing research, my study has the potential to make societal impacts across various fields. If this proposal were to become a dissertation, this section would be more extensive and would draw upon the results found after collecting all the
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.
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
Is gentrification causing segregation in urban cities? The majority of modern day cities are in a state of steady gentrification. Many people believe that gentrification is making the city more modern, safe, and appealing to other people. However, these people in their naivety fail to comprehend the hidden consequences and impact of gentrification on various ethnic groups and low-income families. Gentrification is a master of disguise that hides itself with assumed correlations to everyday people. One such assumption is that gentrification will increase the socioeconomic diversity of a neighborhood.
Gentrification has been discussed many times by various authors in many forms, many take its side and many disagree with it, but there’s never an unanimous vote on it being good or bad, it’s heavily based on perspective and owns experience. Many issues are brought up in these discussions, from displacement, class, financial repercussions, etc. Gentrification is definitely not a new phenomenon and it has been even happening since humans started settling in cities. Usually when a commoner suddenly came into more amount of wealth than usual and improved upon his surroundings that resulted in higher classes of people to get attracted to that area sometimes driving or even forcing the lower class out, this phenomena can’t really be stopped because
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.
Imagine this. New age travelers make their way into your neighborhood. The activity starts small. A recycling bin here a coffee shop there, then suddenly and without warning your neighborhood explodes into a frenzy of improved safety, restored homes, and higher rents (John Buntin). There must be a name for this strange and unusual phenomenon. Gentrification! Many people detail gentrification as though it's a horror film, but is it really that bad? While some people may hate it they sure do love to make fun of it, and with the recent rise in comedic takes on this buzz word, Gentrification has had a bigger platform than ever. Popular shows such as shameless, Kimmy Schmidt, and even Sesame street all have something to say. So what is Gentrification, Where did it come from, and should we the people be for or against it.
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.
Communities that are becoming more gentrified have already seen an improvement of life, and positive lasting changes in those communities. Patrick Gillespie
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.
In today’s society, it may seem that gentrification can eliminate poverty and increase neighborhood opportunities. Low-income residents and property owners will be the first to be altered by gentrification. In an email to the editor at the Atlantic, Freeman, the director of the Urban Planning program at Columbia states “ Gentrification brings new amenities and services that benefit not only the newcomers but long term residents too. Full service