I am writing this letter not only as a call to action, but as a proposal to compromise on a domestic issue that seems to be spreading across urban areas of New York City. Unfavorably connotated as the displacement of poor people by well off newcomers, gentrification can be illustrated as the influx of richer people in a predeveloped urban region, a rise in rent and estate rates, and modifications in regions cultural identity. If I may remind you of a statement you made prior to obtaining a seat in office: “I see people suffering and feeling like they’re losing their grip on the place, and my job is to help New Yorkers live in New York.” (Goldberg) Is it really fair to place out individuals that, in most cases, have occupied their home and …show more content…
Gentrification has brought conflict in numerous major cities in America, including New York City, usually involving issues of race and finance. The alteration of communities has been viewed as the malfunction of society, where rich predominantly white folk are praised for making a district “better”. It is in these same neighborhoods where minority occupants are forced to leave their homes due to inflamed rents. People should not be forced to move out of their homes with the intent of “improving” the neighborhood. (Flag Wars) Gentrification also gives rise to a moral standpoint for poor communities: is it really humane to knock down a building occupied by the working and lower income families with the intent to build a business that you are so certain will be a success? If you want to bring in more businesses into the area, do not do it at the cost of residents. Evacuating residents leads to retracting them from the culture built within the city. The bond formed between neighbors, business owners, and local pedestrians all makeup the identity the city carries. By accepting an influx of newcomers and forcing the evacuation of longtime residents, the cultural recognition of the city will definitely be changed. Probably the most vital question to ask yourself before approving increased rates of gentrification within New York City is where is everyone going to live? New York City, specifically the Manhattan borough topping the list just above the Brooklyn borough and San Francisco,CA, is the most expensive city to live in in United States. Displacing residents would definitely not guarantee them housing and increasing property taxes on homes and businesses would belittle the city. Businesses and dwellers that once thrived as a
Coney Island is a peninsular residential neighborhood in the southwestern part of the borough of Brooklyn, New York City. It is about 4 miles long and 0.5 miles wide. It is a home for 22,764 people. Coney Island is also a very diverse neighborhood. According to city-data, 51.2% of residents were White, 29.3% were Black, 18% were Hispanic or Latino, and 3.8% were Asian. The term “gentrification” was first coined in 1964 by Ruth Glass. Glass observed; "One by one, many of the working class quarters have been invaded by the middle class - upper and lower ... Once this process of 'gentrification ' starts in a district it goes on rapidly until all or most of the working class occupiers are displaced and the whole social social character of the district is changed" (Glass, 1964, p.xvii). Since then, many places started getting gentrified. Because of this, thousands of poor working class people lost their home. As an icon of New York City, there are definitely that the state government want to gentrify Coney Island in order to attract more investors to come start their business in here. However, even though local residents who have been lived in Coney Island for many years think gentrification is a good thing, but at the same time they are trying to save
The people who are getting moved out are low income families that can only afford so much. This fact makes it harder for them to compete with the rise in rent and mortgages. A study done in Pennsylvania finds that, “...this is a hugely important contribution- that gentrification ultimately hits hardest at the least advantaged and most economically vulnerable.” Gentrification occurs where people are less likely to stay in their homes after the values of the land and property increase. Allowing more businesses to pop up and crowding more people around until older residents move out and substantial ones move in. The more substantial
Brooklyn, New York, was once an area that many people who were moving to the New York City region took as a granted place for low-rent homes and apartments. However, many people currently, particularly those people of color, are finding themselves displaced out of Brooklyn due to growing high rents and the inevitable growth of gentrification. Gentrification occurs in urban neighborhoods when the arrival of wealthier people and higher-end businesses results in an increased displacement of lower income families and small businesses. This additionally directly causes an increase in rents and property values and changes in the socio-economic structure for that town. For my paper, I hope to focus on the effects of gentrification for communities of color in Brooklyn.
When a neighborhood gets gentrified yuppies move in and gussy up the neighborhood raise rents and housing prices and working class people and the working poor people get forced out of their home. This has however deprived many citizens of the United States, a good quality of life as it boils down to an argumentative issue between the rich and the poor balance of standard of living. As the gentrification process develops, rent prices increase and the original inhabitants of the area are displaced. Displaced individuals may become
People don’t understand the unfairness of the situation, families are now not able to live in the very same area they were forced into and all because people want to live in a low cost area within walking distance to downtown. They don’t consider how their need for convenience can ruin another person’s life. People should be glad gentrification is happening in their neighborhood, sure property tax is rising but that gives them an advantage. Their property becomes very desirable and they can sell it for double or triple what they paid for it.
Gentrification is the extensive process of rejuvinating a specific part of a city and or town that has been soddened with poverty and deterioration, due to an underlying neglect. These attempts at re-birth of a city are becoming more and more prevalent, so it draws out the overwhelming question, is it helpful or harmful to developing neighborhoods? Gentrification can not be topical with kitchy coffee shops where you pay for the ambience which includes pretty foliage potted in whimsical objects that are all being re-purposed, sitting on rustic wooden tables that are adorned with industrial furnishings. As well as the overpriced fair trade cup of coffee that the pretentious barista contrieves. And the ostentatious frozen yougurt shops will walls
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.
“Critics often charge that gentrification constitutes a white “invasion” of poor black and Hispanic neighborhoods” (Levine, 2015). Re-developed neighborhoods often lose significant numbers in the African American population while gaining an overwhelming increase of white residents. In New York, the portion of
Although many people in the city of New York would say that gentrification is terrible for the people and the communities, they might not actually see what good it can bring. But first...what is gentrification? Gentrification is processed in which renewal and rebuilding bring in middle-class or wealthy folks into bad, run-down neighbourhoods which happen to displace the residents who were already living there. Sure, it’s an economic factor but it could also be a social component.
First, let's start with what gentrification is. Google defines it as “the process of renovating and improving a house or district so that it conforms to middle-class taste”, but the image Gentrification usually evokes when brought into discussion is hipsters moving into a run-down but charming neighborhood and transforming it into something completely different. What is a hipster? Some may call them the fairy godmothers of the once neglected area, and others may refer to them as the monsters that are displacing families to make an artisan beard oil shop, but we’ll touch on that later.
Gentrification threatens millions of families around the world and is separating people from their ethnic background. A relatable topic to this controversy is the the removal of chinatowns across the country. Three out of fifthteen are still progressing while others are either being torn down or replaced with much more expensive high priced apartments or restaurants which the people who live there cannot afford. As you have the poor leave their was once was home, they flee to cities with cheaper houses or apartments for rent. Some of theses people even become homeless and always wonder where their next meal will come from. The most important issue here are the kids who live in these communities. Where will they get their education since they won’t be able to go to school? This will lead to violence and the percentage of homeless people will increase.
Low income people suffer a lot when it comes down to gentrification. Many people can be forced to move out of their homes if they are not financially stable enough to afford the drastic increase in property taxes and rent that are placed upon them. Some of these low-income residents have lived in these houses for generation, all for it to be swept from under their feet, for a new urban development plan. These people are forced to move to a new neighborhood which could be worse than the one that they previous left. Some also have to find new jobs now seeing travel may be more of a hassle, whether it has to do with more gas or a further distance to travel. Even children can be impacted by this, due to them moving to another school district that may not be as great as there former learning institute.
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.
It is getting worst and worst because the rent is constantly increasing over the years and that makes the low income people struggle and then later on can lead homelessness, and struggle to find a new home.The population is also increasing with more people from other states so they don't really mind paying high rents simply because they haven't been here long enough
When I first got introduced to this essay in my English class we were given three broad topics to choose from: discrimination, social justice and technology. Immediately I knew I wanted to pursue an area related with social justice because technology did not interest me one bit and I have already written copious amounts of papers on discrimination. However, I was not opposed to writing about something that could be deemed discriminatory and socially injustice. So with this notion in mind, it lead me to recollect a time I was at home listening to spoken word poetry (as I usually do) and I came across a poem entitled, “If Gentrification Was a Broom Then..” performed by a New York resident locally renown for her poetry, Crystal Valentine. I remember listening to her speak with so much passion and anger about her city being gentrified that it intrigued me to learn more about what gentrification actually is being that I knew nothing about it. Upon my research I found article after article describing the horrors of gentrification, what it is, what it does and I could not help but feel angered as well seeing as though I was born in the same borough she was speaking so firmly about: The Bronx. From then on I have always had the urge to write about this issue just never given the chance to, until now. In her poem she willfully stated that, “You cannot renovate a borough without burying the people already living there,” which then begs the question: why is this still taking place if