The Process Of Gentrification

Many of the slums that were originally inhabited by early immigrants were later passed on to new inhabitants, African Americans. The great migration came in two waves, in which approximately six million African Americans migrated north in the 1920’s and 1970’s. Life for the majority of African Americans in the south was riddled with unemployment and awful housing conditions. Although the North did not provide the best conditions, it sufficed offering many African Americans jobs and the ability to work their way up in society. Many of the jobs were service related, such as being a nanny, chauffer, maid/butler or a cook, they did not pay much, but they were better than dealing with unemployment in the south. The slums were essentially passed
The modern world has adopted what is known as gentrification. Gentrification is the movement of people from the middle to upper class into lower class neighborhoods and renovating them (Lees, 2008). This influx of new wealthier residents and the renovation of the neighborhood causes an increase in prices. As the living costs of the neighborhood increase the less likely the original residents are going to be able to afford living in their homes. This normally results in landlords increasing the price of renting a unit within the area to the point where the entire old population is displaced. There may also be an increase in property tax causing many individuals that own their homes to be foreclosed. With the movement of the old population out of the community this also means that local businesses are going to lose a lot of their customers and this may mean that many will run out of business and need to move their store as well (Lees, 2008). This essentially removes any remaining traces of the old population replacing it with a newer wealthier group. The morality of gentrification is debated as it renovates the city, but it dislocates poorer populations from their homes and creates a segregated community based on
However, there are two types of segregation, de jure and de facto. De jure segregation has without a doubt been outlawed in the United States through several acts and laws. although, de jure has been outlawed, it is not the problem, de facto segregation is. De facto segregation is segregation that is not imposed by law, but rather segregation that happens due to “facts”. Which means that a school could be segregated not because of law, but because of the fact that the majority of that community’s population is one race (Lamb, 2005). De facto segregation is a byproduct of de jure segregation that was legal in the past. Many individuals where involuntarily placed within certain neighborhoods and now although they can legally leave, it does not mean that they have the capabilities to leave, creating de facto segregation. De facto segregation is still very common in our world today and although many believe segregation ended alongside the laws against segregation, it is still very much