Gentrification in Koreatown

Gentrification in Koreatown 

Research:

Los Angeles is a beautiful city and one of the largest cities of the world. People from all over the world want to live in Los Angeles. People come for various reasons such as job opportunities and world class entertainment (Scott, 13-14). A city as large as Los Angeles attracts both the poor and the rich. The problem of gentrification occurs when the rich want to live in the poor communities (Maciag).  Mike Maciag list out various reasons for why rich would want to live in poor communities. In the case of Los Angeles, it has been speculated that rich are moving into predominately-poor communities to avoid long commutes (Magciag). It has also been speculated that the rise in popularity of the urban lifestyle is the reason behind the rich wanting to move into poor communities (Scott 16).

The effects of gentrification are always the same. The poor are forced to move out. The rich take what they want and the poor continue to struggle.

Personal:

Gentrification is something that effects my future in Los Angeles. I like my community. I want to stay. Koreatown is one of the most walkable neighborhoods I have ever lived in. This means I don't need to own a car to live in Koreatown. My observation is confirmed by walkscore.com; which is not a very academic source but it is a great place to find apartments near public transit.

I love Koreatown but I could never own a house here. It is simply to expensive. I rent. Rents keep rising. This is due to many factors. One of the factors I blame is gentrification. Richer people have been moving into this neighborhood. I was I had data to share but all I have is anecdotal counters. There is also the case of a small clinic on Wilshire Blvd, it is now a 85 degrees bakery. Slowly but surely, I feel like I am being forced to move out of my neighborhood.

Community Members:

Marco Aguilar

"I don't mind [if my rent rise]. I'll just move. If can can have a job I'll be happy."

Maricela Gomez

"I have been looking for another place to live so this is not too bad."

References:

Maciag, Mike. “Gentrification in America Report.” Governing Magazine: State and Local Government News for America's Leaders, 2015

Scott, Allen J. “Residential Adjustment and Gentrification in Los Angeles, 2000–2015: Theoretical Arguments and Empirical Evidence.” Urban Geography, 2018, pp. 1–23.

Walk Score. "Living in Wilshire Center - Koreatown Los Angeles" Web. https://www.walkscore.com/CA/Los_Angeles/Wilshire_Center_-_Koreatown .  retrieved April 13 2019.