Gentrification In Los Angeles
By: Vanessa Rodriguez
Mural by: Doug Chayka: https://dougchayka.com/Stop-Gentrificationh
“Civic engagement refers to the ways in which citizens participate in the life of a community in order to improve conditions for others or to help shape the community’s future.” In my own terms, civic engagement in my own definition is being involved in a community in order to gain skills and knowledge to help solve real-life issues around us in order to make it a better place. My social issue in my community is gentrification. This is important to me because the way gentrification is happening right now is unfair to the community in so many ways. Not just my community but some of my close friends and family. It is sad to see how this is affecting our lives and not for the better.
The City of Champions as many know is Inglewood.
Growing up in Inglewood I was able to learn to love
my community being that everyone practically knew
each other and the majority of my life was in Inglewood
from going to school there, the parks, local business
owners, and more. I can most definitely say this city
has become a big part of my life. I was ready to see
changes but not changes that impacted our community
heavily. Over the past couple of years, there have been
quite a few. I would admit they are nice changes but not
so nice at the same time. It does have negative outcomes
for the community. They are negative to us because it does
not benefit us nor help our families. It kicks residents out of their
homes, having nowhere to go and barely enough time to look for a new home. As well as business having to shut down due to the projects that are being created.
What is Gentrification:
Gentrification can be defined as, “Economic and social changes that are a result of an influx of higher-income residents and housing investment. Also characterized by the displacement of lower-income residents as housing stock values rise.” Gentrification can be both negative and positive. Positive gentrification would be the city making adjustments that need to be made such as making the community nicer being that gentrification tends to happen in low-income cities. Other positives of this are new homes being built, economic opportunities, and an increase in property value. Cities do become cleaner, nicer, and more comfortable for the community giving them quite a few benefits but as mentioned they do have their negatives as well. Gentrification is often portrayed as a double-edged sword (Svaldo, 2016). Urban areas are becoming modern making it a problematic process for the community from the social construction that has a huge impact between social classes. It is pushing out socioeconomically residents which then causes social conflicts that lead to possible protests because of changes being made which again is gentrification.
Linda Moreno
“ So far what I have experienced with gentrification has been my rent rising as well as seeing my community change. I see my family and close friends go through gentrification. I’ve seen apartments that have gotten remodeled and the rent just increasing to the point where the people living cannot afford it. One of my close friends was getting paid to move out of her apartment but what they were paying her was not enough for a home or for her to find a new place to live. They are changes but not for the better when it comes to people not being able to afford to live in the community that they’ve grown up in. The apartments I live in are all I know and now that they are changing it doesn’t feel like home.”
How Gentrification Affects people?
Gentrification affects the community by forcing residents to move out of their homes leaving them nowhere to go and potentially leaving families homeless. Due to the cost of living rising families are unable to afford to live in their own community anymore. It is not affordable to them. Let’s also not forget how projects such as sports stadiums, venues, and the construction of homes or malls. A Hollywood journal stated, “The area is also changing in other, complicated ways. While housing sales and development boom, led by the construction of SoFi Stadium in nearby Inglewood, a number of grocery stores have closed during the pandemic, creating food deserts for the growing population. A $2.14 billion Metro line, running from Crenshaw to LAX, is expected to open in 2022, which will make the area accessible to a whole new group of commuters; already more than 16 housing and retail projects are planned along its route.” These luxury housing and attractions allow people from middle-class and upper class to move into these lower-class cities making it quite uncomfortable for those in the community because they are being forced out to welcome these upper class when families have been living there their whole lives.
Diego & Hervy
Diego
“ Growing up having to move to an even lower income area when where I lived was already low income was quite stressful and overwhelming. Living close to a venue like the Forum, prices went up, as well as making the surroundings of the city nicer but being that apartments are and were being remodeled makes property value and rent rise. Being able to live within walking distance of the venue and having to go home can get frustrating when it is taking longer than it normally would. We already have to struggle with LA traffic and now traffic in the streets because of the games or concerts. It is truly unfair to the community.”
Hervy
“ The very first time I saw gentrification was back in Chicago, the Cabrini Green projects that were torn down and made into these fancy new condos that went for about three thousand dollars. I see gentrification in most major cities and even across the nation. Changes in neighborhoods are being made and in my neighborhood too. Having the upper class move into low-income cities is becoming normal now. The way I feel about it is not okay, and it is wrong. Taking people out of their homes to relocate them because they can’t afford it due to their rent rising is just wrong.”
Overall what I have learned from this project is that gentrification can be both good and bad. Gentrification can help improve on making these low-income cities into nicer middle-class places for people to live in by having modern homes and buildings. Making it safer and cleaner for everyone but the negative of gentrification for me really outweighs the positive. It is extremely unfair and unjust to me that the way it is done sometimes is not for the better of the community but more for the city and the money it can potentially bring. I feel as if they leave out those who make or even made that community and city. Taking away someone's home where they grew up and seeing it transform into a place you don’t even recognize anymore can be sentimental. People have memories and love for their cities just for them to be taken from. Sometimes we don’t have much control over gentrification but we as a community can most definitely make a change and stand up for each other and our homes. We are all facing this social issue and not just us but family and friends as well.
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