Noshin A. --Gentrification

Gentrification
marketplace.org
urbandisplacement.org

What is gentrification? 

"It is the process of renovating and improving a house or district so that it conforms to middle-class taste."

Why do some areas become gentrified?

When young, often wealthier white people move into areas historically of color it can cause the ethnic groups common to the area to leave because of rent hikes.

Through the readings and class discussions, it can be safely argued that gentrification is a positive factor in urban communities for individuals and families to have better businesses, gain investments and create a better and safer environment for all people living in the areas.

New  Old

To begin with, gentrification has been seen as something negative for the last multiple decades, but it is not gentrification that is causing such complications, our focus on what poor people will do is. 

Gentrification replaces old businesses with new and improved ones

Ex. Cafe De Leche:

• Opened in 2008
• Highland park, CA
• “The cafe has become a favorite meeting place for newcomers, often found sipping single-origin coffees or horchata lattes while hovering over laptops”  --This has brought together multiple communities together.
  

  

  
  

“The empty  storefronts and 99 cent stores are being replaced by vegan donut shops and yoga studios.” (York FiG) “Gentrifiers”

• New businesses means more opportunities for people to work in better environments.
• New ideas will appear in the market
• More new product will be introduced

People moving out still benefit from the process

To continue, although gentrification is moving out the poor people who have been living there, to replace them with investors and wealthy people who will change their neighborhood, the ones who are being kicked out do benefit in some ways.

• All of the houses, properties, businesses have been bought cheap
• Once the investors come in, their properties and houses will double and triple in prices

Examples:
Irma Alvarado:

• Moved to Highland Park to get rid of violence

• Bought her house for $78,000.
• Sells the house for $521,000 after husband dies
• “Cashes Out”
• Thinks the money can support her for the rest of her life
• “But if you've lived in the neighborhood a while, it's an opportunity to sell high, because the newcomers can and will pay top dollar.”

All of the people when cash out, or sell their houses for much higher prices than they have bought it for will get multiple times the money they have invested. This can be used for a new house down payment or paying rent for the first multiple months.

Safer environments/ pride of living conditions

To further discuss, gentrification is not only about the money and how much people will gain or lose, it is also about the safety and comfort of the people living in the communities.

• In poorer communities, there are a lot of gangs and crimes happening
• Once the area becomes gentrified, police officers can easily take care of the community by making it safer for people to live in
• Before gentrification: people could not walk their dogs outside past 5 or 6pm.
• After gentrification: dogs can be walked freely by their owners
• People were even ashamed of living in certain places:
  Example: Marina Bellizzi -- “When I was younger, going to Franklin High School was something to be embarrassed of.  We had ugly cheerleaders, we had pregnant teenagers, we had unsuccessful teachers."
  

  

  
  

Community Information Gathering:

I went to Highland Park, where gentrification had previously happened. There are areas which look very poor and unorganized and also some areas with a few touch ups. I interviewed a few people, asking their opinions on Gentrification. I asked all of them the same question: "Have you been affected by gentrification?"

First Person:
Mercie R. 
"Personally, I used to attend a school here which was mostly Hispanic students. I remember my mom coming home one day telling me we will have to leave this place because it is being renewed but we will get a better house in another city. I was honestly very excited to move out because my area was not so safe and I was also pregnant with my first child, I wanted to make sure my baby was raised safely."

Second Person: 
Clarita T.
"I was never affected personally by this occasion, but I remember my friends telling me how their grandparents were forced to move out because their house was being remodeled. I think it is very sad to take someone's house away from them. Thankfully I was never in that situation in the years I lived here."