BY STUDENT
Gentrification is when there are renovations made to an area to look more appealing. When a neighborhood is gentrified it forces many lower income residents out because they often can’t afford to live there anymore. “One of the most intriguing aspects of gentrification is how communities opposition to developments is often times tamed by the inclusion of cultural initiatives that allege to be representative of these very same communities” (Dávila). When people gentrify communities they often make promises to the people living there claiming the want to keep the culture of the community (Dávila). Then when the gentrification starts changes are made to the community that take away from the area’s uniqueness. How does gentrification affect Latinx communities?
Many communities where gentrification occurs are in minority communities. Gentrification makes inequality more visible (Dávila). Gentrifiers often have the means to use noninstitutional sources of capital (Dávila). For example in New York City, communities of color experience the greatest burden in terms of rapid gentrification (Dávila). In East Harlem aka Spanish Harlem/ El Barrio people in the community worried about the future of the area’s cultural identity (Dávila). As many minorities often do when their neighborhoods begin changing due to urban renewal. When a large commercial development came to East Harlem they planned to include a Latin themed cultural component in its marketing plans so the public would approve (Dávila).
For gentrifiers to have their plans look appealing to the community they use the people of the community to their advantage. As minorities are often the majority in cities like East Harlem where the population of Latinx is about 41 percent, and 35 percent African American (statisticalatlas.com). In order to even get the public to be interested in their plans they use the minorities cultures to make it seem more inclusive. Therefore, minorities will think their community will be improved and still have its uniqueness. Then, gentrifiers get their plan in motion and start to take over the community, often causing minorities to move away from their neighborhoods.
Works Cited:
Dávila, Arlene M. "From Barrio to Mainstream: On the Politics of Latino/a Art Museums." Latino Spin: Public Image and the Whitewashing of Race. New York: New York UP, 2008. N. pag. Print.
"Race and Ethnicity in East Harlem, New York, New York (Neighborhood)." The Demographic Statistical Atlas of the United States - Statistical Atlas. Accessed May 06, 2019. https://statisticalatlas.com/neighborhood/New-York/New-York/East-Harlem/Race-and-Ethnicity.
Its alarming how many places are being gentrified in New York City today. What do you think is the leading factor of gentrification? And Do you think politics, economic stressors, or institutionalized factors have anything to do with it? Also, what makes a specific community qualify for means of gentrification? Overall, good post!
ReplyDeleteGentrification involves a lot of marketing, and it's messed up how it ends up screwing over the very people it tries to leverage. Possible improvement: it would have been nice to have more specific examples, although obviously this isn't supposed to be a paper.
ReplyDeleteYou mention this concept of uniqueness being something important to East Harlem and that gentrification will effect that drastically. Do you think that gentefication would be a better way to bring about changes? I think that with that connection to the neighborhood their projects would be centered to the preservation of the culture important to the area. It also allows gentefication to be a counter project to gentrification in regard to what is brought into the neighborhood and the consideration of the people (hopefully). Also I wonder if the this Latin aspect to the part is a white washed one or one with references from the community.
ReplyDelete-Jclarke
Gentrification has both pros and cons for a community and different parties tend to view the process in Two different lights. What do you think the leading cause of gentrifcation is and do you believe that the pros outweigh the cons or vice versa? In all, this was a very well written psot.
ReplyDelete- Derrick
It was interesting to learn about the gentrification of minority community in terms of the economic and business aspects of them both. Unfortunately, these businesses are not in the best interests of the minorities although they appear to be. This is not only raising the price of rent, but making Latinos feel less welcomed in their neighborhoods. Before I left for college, I began witnessing this in my own neighborhood located in the south Bronx.
ReplyDeleteGentrification has always been an interesting topic for me and reading your post assured all of my feelings towards it. I hate to see cultures and communities being stripped because of gentrification. It makes me wonder why all of a sudden gentrifiers want to take certain neighborhoods, did they not want them before ? I also dislike how gentrifiers purposely make it seem like culture will be kept the same in order to use minorities to their advantage. I believe that we need to do more in order to stop gentrification and preserve our communities.
ReplyDeleteI like how you touched on the impact of gentrification on minority community. I am currently seeing aspects of gentrification that you mentioned in your blog, in my community. My community is majority African American and Latinx, but as of recent I've been seeing people coming into my neighborhood and changing the appearance. There have been new condos, which is going to increase the the price of living in my neighbor. This is not good because then those who make my neighbor and those who've been living there for years are forced to move out.
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ReplyDeleteGentrification has caught my attention over the past few years because I found that my neighborhood has been undergoing renovation. Many of the local shops have been shut down and bought. some of the shops are being turned into grocery store or banks, and some of them have been torn down forcing the self owned shops to move and this leads to taking away their income so they can not provide for their families. I connected when you talked about gentrification in the minority communities. With my community changing like this, shows how they are forcing people out by remolding minority communities.
ReplyDeleteI think it is important to be as specific as possible with your use of language as you describe the process of gentrification. For example, when you say that "renovations" are made to the effected communities in order to become more "appealing" there is possibility for misunderstanding, as it sounds as if you are describing the neighborhood as existing in an uninhabitable or dilapidated condition that "needs" to be "fixed" by gentrifies. Instead, I think it would be more accurate to describe the process of gentrification as one where lower income neighborhoods are being reconfigured to include things like expensive stores and businesses that seek to attract new potential residents with a higher socioeconomic income and status.
ReplyDeleteWhich places in the United States, accept for NYC as you mentioned, have seen gentrification result in negative effects for minority communities?
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I am a fan of talking about gentrification because my neighborhood is currently changing because of it. Williamsburg, Brooklyn is currently losing a lot of its old culture because of it, when you touch on minority communities I instantly thought of mine due to the majority is the minority. Where everyone was living there because of affordable rent and immigrants trying to make a living in the states
ReplyDeletel loved your post especially how you included the process of urban renewal. Previously, I would think gentrification would just happen due to white people wanting to be a part of a community. But from reading your post and what I've learned in LACS is that their are systematic processes put in place in order to have black and brown odied relocate. I know the government carries out urban renewal but what happens if black and brown bodied dont leave and demand their space? What would happen? Would violence or money be used in oder to get that space?
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