Regentrification
I currently have a mixed opinion about the regentrification of a neighborhood or area of a city. Now I currently live in a regentrified neighborhood. I enjoy the beautiful old buildings that have been brought back to life. I enjoy the grand architecture. But, I always hear that regentrification is evil from lots of people. I suppose that their statement is based upon the disruption of the previous neighborhood and it's inhabitants. Now, I understand the problem as it usually happens this way: Say you have a depressed neighborhood that has a low value due to it being industrial or devalued property. The inhabitants of the neighborhood are happy, I suppose, with their modest piece of the industrialized city... But then the hipsters move in based on the cheap rent and start migrating into the neighborhood. Eventually, the rest of the population sees that the hipsters have defined a new, up and coming attractive neighborhood and start moving in. As more people move in the cost of living in the neighborhood goes up (because of higher demand), thereby displacing the original inhabitants of the town and the original hipsters that started the movement leaving the population of mainstream "yuppies".. Now I do see the downside of this scenario and I do feel for the plight of the "original" inhabitants of the town (a subjective statement depending on when you are talking). But on the other hand regentrification brings back to life a city that was once dead, underutilized, and sometimes even polluted brownfields. In addition, regentrification is pretty "green" as well since most of the buildings are reused and therefore cause fewer resources to be used in construction. I also feel that regentrification reinvogorates a community and a culture too. Unfortunately, by doing so it also displaces another community and culture. The part that I don't agree with is when regentrification goes too far and starts turning a beautiful old neighborhood into a mainstream strip mall in the suburbs. I think the best and most logical solution to trying to fairly plan for all is to purposely target and provide for mixed income communities as to not shut people out. This is probably the best of both worlds. Because history has taught us that creating "the projects" is no way to solve this problem. What are your thoughts on regentrification?
posted by Kmo @ 9:27 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
I've been meaning to comment on this for quite some time. Gentrification is interesting because it's such a bait and switch process in my opinion. People move into an urban space, typically within a few blocks from the projects and then get married and in turn have kids and then move to the suburbs. I'm a prime example of that cycle. The cycle is sustaining for a longer period of time (case in point - you). I think after certain periods of time, people do push the "poorer" or more classic examples of urban neighborhoods to different spaces. There's a really cool blending affect that occurs the longer yuppies or non-poor urban professionals stay in one spot but there's still a soft spoken gray line that dictates territory as "bad" or "ghetto" or "unsafe." I think people are becoming "braver" of these territories yet at the same time, those who call this area their own find those living unlike them as a threat of sorts. We could go on and on about this but I'm sure that I can only speak from experience in Hoboken. Life is still very divided. The types of cultures and groups of people occupying space in Hoboken are super diverse but they're still segregated in terms of lifestyle. Everyone spends their money differently but sometimes it's not even about money but more the life that has always been. For the yuppie - life has always been good and that's what separates the two.
Eric
I agree.. I think in theory we all like the idea of "living together", but the fact is that the separate cultures do have an unspoken divide. I am trying to personally get involved more in helping the community in a soup kitchen to mingle with people I wouldn't normally.
Also, I think the cycle you spoke of is mostly due to couples wanting more space for a family, but I think it is pretty cool when couples do decide to raise a family in the city since it is such a unique place to raise a family.
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