In the documentary, “Cleveland: Confronting Decline in an American City” the short movie analyses the great risk confronting Cleveland as a city as result of deterioration and dilapidation of the urban core. The documentary discusses factors that are responsible for this problem and possible solutions; as this has become a phenomenon, not just in Cleveland but other major US cities. The issue of the urban decline in most cities cuts across people, commerce, and the economy in general. However, the questions of how most cities arrived at their current predicament, consequences of abandoning these concerns, and what can be done to reverse the bad situation, remain unanswered.
Put together by Northern Light Productions, the movie’s case study
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According to Jack Patton, a retired steelworker, he affirms that the steel industry used to be the strength of the US economy, as well as the driving force of the Cleveland Economy. But now, most of the steel mills have closed, businesses have left, and Cleveland has lost thousands of jobs. On his part, Paul Volpe, an architecture, states that Cleveland used to be the centerpiece of Fortune 500 companies until most of them left and only a few now remain. The population itself has not grown as expected, thereby giving rise to the concept of “sprawl”. In the 1960’s and 70’s, part of what drives business to the suburbs is numerous free and large parking space, however, officials of Cleveland, to salvage the situation, tore down many vacant structures to create parking lots for businesses. Sadly, this effort did not work: more businesses collapsed and more people left, leaving the city in isolation. Regrettably, the problem persisted, the situation of things got exacerbated, until late 1966 when things finally exploded. This led to serious riots and protests which even drove many away; the straw that finally broke the camel’s back was when the Cuyahoga River caught fire, this led to more and more people deserting the city and eventually, the city went into bankruptcy. As tax revenues fall, basic city services also fell; police
Ehrenhalt, Alan (2012-04-24). The Great Inversion and the Future of the American City (Kindle Location 283). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Another noteworthy urban sociologist that’s invested significant research and time into gentrification is Saskia Sassen, among other topical analysis including globalization. “Gentrification was initially understood as the rehabilitation of decaying and low-income housing by middle-class outsiders in central cities. In the late 1970s a broader conceptualization of the process began to emerge, and by the early 1980s new scholarship had developed a far broader meaning of gentrification, linking it with processes of spatial, economic and social restructuring.” (Sassen 1991: 255). This account is an extract from an influential book that extended beyond the field of gentrification and summarizes its basis proficiently. In more recent and localized media, the release the documentary-film ‘In Jackson Heights’ portrayed the devastation that gentrification is causing as it plagues through Jackson Heights, Queens. One of the local businessmen interviewed is shop owner Don Tobon, stating "We live in a
The 1920's were a time for a change in New Jersey. Its location made it a prominent part of the country with some of the greatest manufactures coming through the Garden State. Very much like the rest of The United States, New Jersey began the 1920's in a state of prosperity. This was a time for population and employment increase. After the War was over factory production greatly decreased but the production lines remained in somewhat high production. The 1920's brought on a completely new era of transportation and movement of goods and people. For the City of Elizabeth NJ, the 1920's brought on an era of manufacturing of goods that would help the city develop for years to come. For one, cars became easily affordable and readily available for most common people. This was also the time for Mass Production; the steel, petroleum, and glass industries all grew with the growth of the automobile industry. In Elizabeth NJ, there was a particular manufacturing focal point. The site of the first Duesenberg engine production Factory, located on Newark Avenue, was the beginning of this manufacturing era. This growth followed the path of most trends in the United States and eventually fell to a slow but sure decline; the years following the great "Roaring Twenties" brought by a time of devastation and economic suffering to the residents of Elizabeth NJ. There are various factors leading to the decline of the manufacturing era, prime among them, Environmental regulations.
Now, a normal sized town contains fast-food joints, supermarkets, malls, and superstores, but a small town lacks that appeal. The small-town could be the most beautiful landscape known to man, but lack the necessary luxuries in life that a typical American would benefit from. Carr and Kefalas make this statement that emphasizes the town’s lack of appeal, “Indeed the most conspicuous aspects of the towns landscape may be the very things that are missing; malls, subdivisions, traffic and young people” (26). The authors clearly state that they realize that towns, such as the Heartland, are hurting because of the towns’ lack of modernization. For all intents and purposes, the town’s lack of being visually pleasing is driving away probable citizens, not only the native youth, and possible future employee’s away from a possible internship with the town. The citizens with a practice or business hurt from the towns inability to grow up and change along with the rest of the world, yet the town doesn’t realize what bringing in other businesses could potentially do for their small town. Creating more businesses such as malls, superstores and supermarkets would not only drive business up the roof, but it’ll also bring in revenue and draw the
Euclid Avenue, referred to as “Millionaire’s Row” from the late 1800s to the 1920s, is one of the oldest corridors in Cleveland, Ohio. This corridor has undergone a number of redevelopment projects in the past century, as the city itself transformed from a commercial town in the 1800s, to the industrial city it is today. Large areas of the Euclid Avenue corridor were demolished in the 1960s, as part of a series of urban renewal programs. These programs were established to revitalize office and housing markets in downtown Cleveland and to further encourage development of University Circle, a neighborhood of cultural, educational and medical institutions, located on the east side of Cleveland. The Euclid Avenue Corridor continues to experience various redevelopment projects, in order to secure its economic position in U.S. and international markets.
... motivation for wealthy individuals to return to the inner-city core but it also provides impetus for commercial and retail mixed-use to follow, increasing local revenue for cities (Duany, 2001). Proponents of gentrification profess that this increase in municipal revenue from sales and property taxes allows for the funding of city improvements, in the form of job opportunities, improved schools and parks, retail markets and increased sense of security and safety ((Davidson (2009), Ellen & O’Reagan (2007), Formoso et. al (2010)). Due to the increase in housing and private rental prices and the general decrease of the affordable housing stock in gentrifying areas, financially-precarious communities such as the elderly, female-headed households, and blue-collar workers can no longer afford to live in newly developed spaces ((Schill & Nathan (1983), Atkinson, (2000)).
At the very backbone of the body of reasons for which sprawl has accelerated so much in recent decades is the changing social culture in America. One must remember that sprawl is all about people, and one of the greatest factors that drive the trends of their behavior is culture. It is true that there are many other factors (I.E. economic) at play in the manifestation of sprawl, but the factor of culture is what lies at the very core of the entire issue. This core is the argument that Americans have gradually moved toward a socially and individually isolated culture. Essentially, the American community has become more disjointed and impermanent, creating an atmosphere in which living in a more dense population has become undesirable.
Situated on the Monongahela River is the neighborhood of Southside Flats. Within it lays the entertainment hub of Pittsburgh. Numerous bars and nightspots line the main thoroughfare of E Carson St. The early history of the neighborhood saw it as a main point for industry with its proximity to the river and railway stations. At the end of the nineteenth century, the neighborhood would boast a major steelworks factory that employed a sizable portion of the residents of Southside Flats. Many of these residents emigrated from the countries of Eastern Europe and incorporated many of their traditions into the area and the neighboring Southside Slopes. This style of life would last until the early 1980s when the South Side Local Development Company was formed and the steel plant shut down. The area was absent of a major employer until the City of Pittsburgh Urban and Redevelopment Authority (URA) bought the land once occupied by the steel plant in 1993. The URA bought the land with money they borrowed from a developer that eventually led to the construction of the SouthSide Works. The complex officially opened in 2004 brought many national retailers to the Pittsburgh area. The construction of the SouthSide Works is one example of how cities have had to cope with the deindustrialization that has taken place in this country over the past 30 years. The emergence of Southside Flats as the hotspot of Pittsburgh for nightlife and shopping has caused problems for the local residents. Over the past years, there has been an increasing riff between the local residents and the patrons of the area’s bars and nightclubs. This riff grew to such an extent that the Pittsburgh police began instituting tight reg...
This investigation is based on the assumption that gentrification with all its troubles can’t be prevented and is an inherent part of every city. What are the negative impacts of gentrification? What are the underlying mechanisms that feed these impacts? What drives these mechanisms? What would be an alternative scenario?
Gentrification is the keystone for the progression of the basic standards of living in urban environments. A prerequisite for the advancement of urban areas is an improvement of housing, dining, and general social services. One of the most revered and illustrious examples of gentrification in an urban setting is New York City. New York City’s gentrification projects are seen as a model for gentrification for not only America, but also the rest of the world. Gentrification in an urban setting is much more complex and has deeper ramifications than seen at face value. With changes in housing, modifications to the quality of life in the surrounding area must be considered as well. Constant lifestyle changes in a community can push out life-time
There are many examples of cities reforming itself over time, one significant example is Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. More than a hundred years after the discovery of gold that drew thousands of migrants to Vancouver, the city has changed a lot, and so does one of its oldest community: Downtown Eastside. Began as a small town for workers that migrants frequently, after these workers moved away with all the money they have made, Downtown Eastside faced many hardships and changes. As a city, Vancouver gave much support to improve the area’s living quality and economics, known as a process called gentrification. But is this process really benefiting everyone living in Downtown Eastside? The answer is no. Gentrification towards DTES(Downtown Eastside) did not benefit the all the inhabitants of the area. Reasons are the new rent price of the area is much higher than before the gentrification, new businesses are not community-minded, and the old culture and lifestyle of the DTES is getting erased by the new residents.
“The Deeper Problems We Miss When We Attack ‘Gentrification’”exhibit their opinion on the positives of gentrification and the potential of “revitalization” in low-income urban communities. Badger argues that gentrification brings nothing more than further opportunities for urban communities while integrating citizens of different social classes.Furthermore , she continues to question if gentrification is in fact the monster that brings the prior expressions against gentrification where she says “If poor neighborhoods have historically suffered from dire disinvestment, how can the remedy to that evil — outside money finally flowing in — be the problem, too?”(Badger) Stating that the funds generated from sources external that are brought into these communities can’t be problematic. This concept is further elaborated in the article “Does Gentrification Harm the Poor” where Vigdoor list the potential positive enhancements gentrification can have on an urban area in America ,stating that gentrification can
In Jane Jacobs’s acclaimed The Life and Death of Great American Cities, she intricately articulates urban blight and the ills of metropolitan society by addressing several binaries throughout the course of the text. One of the more culturally significant binaries that Jacobs relies on in her narrative is the effectively paradoxical relationship between diversity and homogeneity in urban environments at the time. In particular, beginning in Chapter 12 throughout Chapter 13, Jacobs is concerned greatly with debunking widely held misconceptions about urban diversity.
Of the many problems affecting urban communities, both locally and abroad, there is one issue in particular, that has been victimizing the impoverished within urban communities for nearly a century; that would be the problem of gentrification. Gentrification is a word used to describe the process by which urban communities are coerced into adopting improvements respective to housing, businesses, and general presentation. Usually hidden behind less abrasive, or less stigmatized terms such as; “urban renewal” or “community revitalization” what the process of gentrification attempts to do, is remove all undesirable elements from a particular community or neighborhood, in favor of commercial and residential enhancements designed to improve both the function and aesthetic appeal of that particular community. The purpose of this paper is to make the reader aware about the significance of process of gentrification and its underlying impact over the community and the community participation.
Finally, this paper will explore the “end product” that exists today through the works of the various authors outlined in this course and explain how Los Angeles has survived many decades of evolution, breaking new grounds and serving as the catalyst for an urban metropolis.