Adriana Carovska

                                               

                                         Gentrification         

Research: 
Your first question may be, what is "gentrification"? And if you do not know what it is then I am sure that you have at least seen it because it has been slowly taking over neighborhoods. But what is it exactly if it is actually happening around us? According to archive.pov.org, gentrification is "a general term for the arrival of wealthier people in an existing urban district, a related increase in rents and property values, and changes in the district's character and culture."Because of gentrification lower income areas are usually targeted. Prices of houses rise as well as the rent. Families that have lived in the same areas for 10+ years have to move to areas usually farther away that they can actually afford and family owned businesses are being closed because of gentrification. As stated by governing.com,"Gentrification greatly accelerated in several cities. Nearly 20 percent of neighborhoods with lower incomes and home values have experienced gentrification since 2000, compared to only 9 percent during the 1990s." And since there are more open spaces due to people leaving, buildings are being knocked down and apartments are being built, as well as houses being remodeled and sold for high prices. And alongside this new restaurants and cafes are being opened and are overpriced.Would you enter a trendy cafe to buy an 8 dollar mocha latte or a 6 dollar avocado toast that you could make at home?

Facts and Statistics:

Issues caused by Gentrification

• Gentrification increases the cost of living (rise of rent, houses, etc)
• Lower income neighborhoods are usually targeted
• Some longtime residents have to move farther away because they can no longer afford living in the gentrified area
• cultural standards of the neighborhood are changing 
• rich get richer, poor get poorer
• Food costs increase            

                                                                         Interviews 

"Personally, I feel that I've been raised in a neighborhood that has been gentrified over the years.  It used to be an area with a lot of gang activity, but now it has been an area that targets young middle class families with local shops nearby and a considerable white population. I would definitely participate in any project or action that helps diminish the discrimination that gentrification places on certain groups." (Katerina Sobevska, Resident of Atwater Village)

"I do not agree with it because it takes out tradition under the umbrella of progress. Tradition has meaning, and I believe that everything today related to gentrification is fake and is only good for the moment. My belief is that it will not last and cannot be sustained. As an example, developers build these huge apartment buildings and charge huge rents only waiting for one downturn in the economy everything goes downhill. I basically believe that there is no sustainable way and truth to gentrification." (Vesna Carovska, Resident of Atwater Village)

  "Throughout the previous decade (2010s), multitudes of apartments and living complexes have been constructed in the cities adjacent to the neighborhood I live in.Older, smaller businesses have been removed in order to cater to wealthier Angelenos in search of a home.  As a result, portions of cities that I frequent are neatly bombarded with ritzy rows of apartment buildings that are seemingly always leasing out mostly empty units.Prices are constantly surging for housing in a time where I (23 years old) am regularly thinking of securing independent stability, a pursuit made more difficult by this towering gentrification. I would definitely participate in an organized action project that would address the adverse consequences of gentrification such as the unequal brunt of forced direct impact its processes have on residents of an area."(Aleksandar Sobevski, Resident of Atwater Village)                                                               
                                                                  Personal

                I have lived in the same area, Atwater Village, all my life. And I did not notice until recently how my neighborhood has changed, or has been changing. New food places have opened in the past few years, and I would always drive by them and was confused as to why there are so many people that go there. But one day I finally went to one and realized that everything was ridiculously overpriced. Not only this but I have had family and close friends not being able to afford to pay rent due to the rising prices and changing neighborhood. And I strongly believe that gentrification takes away a community that has worked hard to build it and create it,  and then removes all the people that worked so hard to get it there. Cultural landmarks are removed, as well as the soul of the city being removed and replaced by basic overpriced cafes or overpriced clothing shops to "appeal" more to people. I have also noticed how more and more luxury apartments/condos are being built around the area that I live in while there are people that have lived in the neighborhoods for generations being forced out of their homes because the cost of living is increasing. I am aware that neighborhoods are bound to change but I am bothered by the fact that because of this people will struggle to keep up with these never ending changes and increases of costs to just live.

                                                                References
https://www.governing.com/gov-data/census/gentrification-in-cities-governing-report.html

https://www.citylab.com/equity/2019/07/gentrification-effects-neighborhood-data-economic-statistics/594064/

http://archive.pov.org/flagwars/what-is-gentrification/