SOC 102 Topic 6 Discussion 1
answer
Gentrification is negatively affecting our urban communities. Urban renewal involves the process of renovating areas that are dilapidated and underdeveloped. Gentrification is a process where areas once inhabited by ethnic minorities are “being snatched up by young white individuals” This results in the ethnic minorities being displaced from the area. Gentrification occurs when residential and business property prices increase, making it difficult for many lower class citizens to afford living in these areas. The demand causes high prices in real estate. Citizens get pushed out because of their inability to afford the rising rent and cost of living.
Gentrification is the process of renovating neighborhoods that have low income and this usually brings economic growth and wealth to an area, but at what cost? There are significant controversies about the changes gentrification makes to an area and the effects it has on the residents. Gentrification has been happening to many cities across the nation including New York, Austin, Baltimore, Detroit, Miami, Washington D.C., Chicago, Portland, San Francisco, Minneapolis and Kansas City. The gentrification of New York occurs in Harlem where wealthy people bought homes in poor neighborhoods such as Harlem and renovated them bringing business opportunities. Local coffee shops were replaced with Starbucks and upscale art galleries with expensive luxury apartments within a small section of Harlem. Parking lot spaces were increased for businesses which created congestion within the neighborhood. Some people argue that all those changes create better educational opportunities, jobs and housing for local residents however there are others who disagree with the gentrification process arguing that lower-income people are forced out of their homes due to rising property taxes and rent prices since they cannot afford the high prices.
Gentrification can be both positive and negative, depending on the perspective of those who are affected by it. For the city, gentrification means an influx of new financial resources, as well as new citizens. For the people living in that city, however, gentrification may mean pushing out current residents and a lack of community
As rising rents and an ongoing economic downtown made the city unsafe for working class people of color, wealthy whites swooped in and changed the complexion of areas that are now known as gentrified neighborhoods. For most people of color who grew up in neighborhoods like Harlem or the Bronx, gentrification is a grim reality. In the 1980’s , Manhattan started to become a more popular place for rich people to live. Gentrification ensued when the upper-class began purchasing storefronts in poor urban neighborhoods such as Harlem and Brooklyn. When Whites began to move into these areas, businesses from inner-city minority communities were replaced with upscale boutiques serving wealthy suburbanites. Before long, a Starbucks would open up on every street corner and mom-and-pop stores closed their doors forever.
Gentrification can a great force in society. It is often used to revitalize older urban areas. Gentrification by increasing the economic and social status of the neighborhood, attracting new residents and investment. However, it may lead to displacement of the existing population in gentrificated neighborhoods; consequently the socioeconomic status changes from working-class to middle- or upper-class.
Gentrification is a process of rebuilding where poor people live through investment in buildings. It also improves communities and is better for poor families as they can get new, bigger homes. However, it does mean that poorer people have to leave their homes and are sometimes seen as being “forced out”. Gentrification can also cause crime to increase in the more deprived parts of town that are getting more money.
Negatives
question
Name four social negatives and four social positives concerning gentrification. If you or someone you know have experienced gentrification, share their experience and what was the effect of gentrification.