Gentrification During The Progressive Era

America has always wanted to improve society. During the Progressive Era, many muckrakers, such as Jacob Riis, advocated to improve the tenements of the urban cities. The unsanitary and inferior houses where due to immigrants who migrated to America for unskilled factory jobs. When muckrakers publicized the gruesome living conditions of these impoverished people, labor unions started to form and advocated for labor and housing reform. The low working class have always fought for a better lifestyle and annual income. However, in the modern twenty first century, many people are contradicting traditional beliefs of improving households by saying that gentrification is harmful. Gentrification is a system in which an investor or individual renovates

As the quality of something goes up the price goes up, same idea goes for housing and public facilities.When businesses or investors gentrify an area ¨They put pressure on schools, the police and the city to improve. As property prices increase, rents go up—but that also generates more property-tax revenue, helping to improve local services¨(¨Bring on the hipsters¨). An increase local tax base can be monetarily biting to residents but, those taxes can be used to improve local public schools, parks, or services. ¨Neighborhood improvements like bars, restaurants, waterfronts, or extended transit can and sometimes do encourage less advantaged households to stay put in the face of gentrification¨(Florida). The improvement of public facilities can persuade even the poor inhabitants to stay. Education is also tied into this because with the improvements of schools minorities get a better education. In fact ¨A 2010 study on “Who Gentrifies Low-Income Neighborhoods” found that the impact of gentrification on black residents varies based on level of education¨(Florida). Thus, providing a better public school can improve the percent of high school graduates even for minorities, which will result in better incomes jobs. The new modern and mesmerizing cities can also attract people passing by as well as provide more jobs to the

Hipsters are persons who follows the latest trends and fashions. Old residents, usually minorities, get annoyed at hipsters because they replace old businesses with the new modern trends, which are usually more expensive.¨However, annoying they may be, hipsters help the poor. Their vintage shops and craft-beer bars generate jobs and taxes¨ (¨Bring on the hipsters¨). In addition to creating jobs, gentrifying a city also creates diversity both in the city and in the local schools. ¨Ultimately, while some residents were displaced from 1970 to 2000, gentrifying neighborhoods were generally more diverse when it came to income, race, and education as opposed to non-gentrifying neighborhoods¨(Florida). As shown, gentrification brings in more progress than