Myth Of Gentrification

The article, “The Myth of Gentrification: It’s extremely rare and not as bad for the poor as you think” by John Butin, focuses on the positive aspects of remodeling low income neighborhoods. Butin begins the article by stating two facts. Butin believes that popular cities in New York started the trend of gentrification by introducing an upscale vibe to rundown low income neighborhoods. Butin informs the reader how it seemingly started to spread to other states. He describes most peoples’ view with gentrification. Most people believe that gentrification is a displacement of poor people and making the neighborhood inhabitable to those with low wages. Butin states that the goal of gentrification is to change low-income neighborhood into high-income
neighborhoods. He argues that gentrification can be a good thing for low income neighborhoods. In fact, people low incomes were not being forced out of their neighborhoods. The development of the neighborhood gave the people more opportunity. As rent rose, people received more income and better opportunity. They had more opportunity to change their everyday life.
What exactly is gentrification? Jon Butin concept is of gentrification is when “artists, bohemians, and gay couples come first. They move into run-down—but charming and historic—homes and loft spaces close to the urban core. Houses are restored. Funky coffee shops appear. Public safety improves. Then rents and home prices start to go up. As rents and home prices continue to rise, the earlier residents—often lower-income people of color—are forced out.” Butin seems to believe that gentrificating a neighborhood of low income displaces poor people of color with well off, blue collar white people. Sometimes, people who move into low income neighborhoods really do want to help. They start community programs and become community leaders. They get involved with the community and start projects to make the neighborhood “prettier”. Blue collar whites attempt to improve neighborhoods can have some consequences. As wealthier people move into the new up and coming neighborhood, landlords will raise rent. The increase of rent will make it harder for low income people to stay. As this occurs, major companies move into the neighborhood to accommodate the more traffic it is getting. Small
businesses will have it harder to compete with major companies and cater to their new clientele, forcing them to shut down. The little corner market that has been in the neighborhood for decades will have to close down because the locals will prefer to shop at the new Whole Foods. Neighborhoods loose a bit of their historic culture and social aspect. A neighbor that you’ve grown up with might have moved because to the high cost of living in that neighborhood. Others move in and people socialize less with their neighbors. Neighbors bring their own culture and taste. Soon, the charming neighborhood you once grew up in will become unrecognizable. As I continued to read the article, I noticed Buntin had a bias tone when he stated “When the ethnic compositions of low-income black neighborhoods do change, it’s typically because Latinos and other immigrants move into a neighborhood…” As a Hispanic living in Pilsen, I know the struggles of trying to survive in a gentrifying neighborhood. Latinos and other immigrants move into low income neighborhoods because they may not be able to afford to live in higher income neighborhood. Gentrifying a neighborhood isn’t all that bad either. As the neighborhood got wealthier, the locals became wealthier. While most of the neighborhoods income went to white college graduates, black high school graduates saw an increase of their income as well. When a community is developing, new opportunity comes with the atmosphere. As Buntin states, “Black residents, particularly black youth, living in more diverse neighborhoods find significantly better jobs than peers with the same skill sets who live in less diverse neighborhoods. In short, writes Patrick Sharkey (a sociologist who wrote ‘Stuck in Place: Urban Neighborhoods and the End of Progress Toward Racial Equality’), ‘There is strong evidence that when neighborhood disadvantage declines, the economic fortunes of black youth improve, and improve rather substantially.’” In other words, blue collars will bring higher rent and taxes, but they also bring higher income and more opportunities for the youth. Jacob Vigdor, an economist of University of Washington examined the gentrification in Boston between 1974 and 1997 and found no evidence that low income people moved out of gentrifying neighborhoods at a higher rate than normal. In fact the rates were actually lower. Columbia University economist Lace Freeman and Frank Branconi conducted a similar research and states in Butin’s article that “The most plausible interpretation may be the simplest: As neighborhoods gentrify, they also improve in many ways that may be as appreciated by their disadvantaged residents as by their more affluent ones.”. Residents moved less because the neighborhood improved. With occupancy increasing the safety in the community increase as well and as the value of properties. A change of culture can give the people an opportunity to explore others food, social events and ways of life style. Job opportunities rise, building and parks are renovated, schools and streets are improved.
In my opinion, gentrification has both its pros and cons to it and can’t be entirely bad for certain neighborhoods.
This article can be geared towards both low and high income levels. Butin gives supporting details of the disadvantages of the cost of living in a gentrified neighborhood and the advantages youths receive in diverse communities. As someone who lives in a gentrifying neighborhood, I can understand Butin’s argument that gentrification is not bad for the poor. Pilsen was perfect before it was gentrified, However, I do like that I can walk to my local Target or Wal-Mart instead of driving out the city. I still support local mom and pop shops and there are some blocks that still need to be rejuvenated, but I do see some downside of it. I recently bumped into an old landlord who told me that my old apartments’ rent had increase to nearly 45%. Gentrification is not as bad as it seems. Rent and taxes might go up, but the property values and opportunities also
rise.