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Urban Decay In The Middle East

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Urban decay is an issue in the United States and will cause the act of gentrification. Urban decay is current in most, if not all, inner cities of the United States. Middle and upper class avoid traveling around downtown cities in their state because they do not feel safe. Government and private markets are implementing gentrification to decaying urban areas. The positive effect of gentrification is that there will be a renovation of buildings and local businesses. This is a controversy because these renovations will be create a higher property and push out local businesses to implement new businesses to appeal gentrified citizens; ultimately, targeting the lower class by displacing them. “The Search for Marvin Gardens” by John McPhee and “Gentrification …show more content…

The Search for Marvin Gardens does claim the culture and race inside Atlantic City. The socio-economic standard in Atlantic City is the low class and criminals. McPhee says that there are six African Americans, laughing, and a Caucasian asleep in red sneakers. She is intoxicated. The others are dealers, hookers, car burglar, and thief found with a handgun (18). The majority ethnicity in lower class societies is populated with African Americans. The population inside Atlantic City is frightening to most middle to upper class Americans. The major decaying cities are primarily populated with blacks because of the standard of living. In fact, Harlem is comparable because it is one of the largest comprised of the working class and poor residents of African Americans. People classify Harlem as the ghetto. It is also the image of the birth of the Black Panthers. “96 percent of Central Harlem residents are black” (Schaffer and Smith 351). Gentrification consequently will displace blacks living in that location. Some could look at gentrification as targeting African American. Atlantic City and Harlem will have a hard time to be gentrified because of the clash of cultures. Current occupants will not accept new cultures coming in and pushing out older …show more content…

Both cities are experiencing urban decay. As infrastructure continuously deteriorates, the cost of living decreases. The solution to decaying urban areas is to renovate infrastructure and rehabilitate the society as whole. The socio-economical culture mostly consists of lower class African Americans. The culture is more inclined to commit crimes because of their economical standard. Early studies claimed that there might be a single digit percentage of pre-gentrified citizens displaced in the community, possibly causing them to be homeless. Displacement of the lower class citizens is due to higher property tax housing and rental homes, which will make it unaffordable to the current residents. McPhee, Schaffer and Smith look at both situations in different point of views, which helps readers comprehend the overall issue of urban decay and gentrification. Urban decay and gentrification will affect the lower and middle to upper class in different ways. The only issue is that child-oriented families will not leave the suburbs because they have a comfortable and safe living, as well as other benefits. The solution that the government and private markets must reach is how to renovate the cities while maintaining the current residents

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