Gentrification Pros And Cons

Gentrification is a process that flips poor, deteriorated urban communities into luxurious, hip, and expensive residences. This process displaces lower-income people or families by increasing expenses such as rent or property values and brings in wealthier individuals, which buys them out of their homes. Gentrification remolds a neighborhood that is deemed to be “ghetto” into one that is more “livable” or “safe” and creates a better atmosphere for the wealthy. Though, there are many advantages to gentrification as well such as a reduce crime rate, renovated buildings/homes/parks, and overall increase in economic activity. Despite these benefits, gentrification seems to cause more harm than good. It is evident that the rapid expansion of gentrification

is spreading throughout Philadelphia in such neighborhoods, like South Philadelphia and North Philadelphia. Once you see one of those tacky, colorful looking apartments or homes, you know that this neighborhood will soon be gentrified.
There are many advantages and disadvantages of gentrification.

To start off, gentrification keeps the street clean and brings to light new shops, which brings jobs and upscale houses. Gentrification also improves public safety and reduces crime rate. But, with every advantage, there is a disadvantage. For one, it forces families out of their homes due to increasing taxes and resident expenses, which was mentioned before. This pushes families into other undesirable neighborhoods that these wealthy individuals do not bat an eye at creating an unsafe, dirty, and overpopulation neighborhood. Local businesses that have been located in such area that have been there for years will be bought out, forced to sell their stores. Newcomers into the neighborhood do not plan to bind with the existing neighborhood and therefore, making a whole new community. Rather than wanting to merge, they want to get rid of the old and in with the new. The care for existing community is pretty much non-existent. As noted, I still believe that gentrification do more harm than good. There may be an increase in security and comfort, but money always play an important role in

society.
The city of Philadelphia claims that its goal is to encourage the growth and development in such deteriorated neighborhoods by making it economically and racially diverse, all while protecting long-time homeowners.

But, is this goal met? Will this goal be kept in place? Gentrification in Philadelphia is spreading to neighborhoods in lower North Philly, South Philly, University City, Fairmount, Point Breeze, Kensington, and more. Taxes are rising and it is hard to keep rent or property expensive the same. Alda Ballard, a woman who lived in Center City West for nearly 70 years, owns a seven-bedroom brownstone. She is trying her best to maintain rent for her tendants below $850. Though, she is not too worried, but she is aware that longtime homeowners are being bought out of their homes and forced to move out into somewhere else. Homeowners are not the only targets, urban gardens in vacant lots are also being seized. Since land values are increasing, a growing number of community gardens are being lost to “sheriff’s sale or private sale.” Volunteers put all their hard work and effort into creating these gardens, which reduced violent crime rate, into these neighborhoods, only for it to be taken away from them. These gardens are accessible to low-income communities that lack grocery stores and parks. Urban gardeners are fighting to permanently preserve these neighborhood gardens. These gardens are a safe haven for youth and creates a better atmosphere to those living in these

low-income communities, which can further improving these neighborhoods without the need of gentrification.
Civic engagement can impact gentrification. We can either take the route of stopping gentrification completely or changing the ways of gentrification. To change this way, we can reach out to communities and teach them how to maintain their homes or clean up streets so they won’t be a target. Many of us students who volunteer at community gardens, schools, nonprofit organizations, etc. can come together and improve a neighborhood. Together, not only will this bring us together, it will also give us a sense of security and the great feeling of helping another person. There will always be homes or properties for sale and these wealthy individuals can look elswhere for these residencies. They should be seeking other neighborhoods. By participating in civic engagement, you can promote such goals and bring groups together to fight for what is important- to stop forcing people out of their homes by increasing expenses.
Gentrification is truly a realtive merit or in other words, a double edge sword. Many neighborhoods are severely impacted all throughout the world, especially in congested cities such as Philadephia and New York. It is evident that we need to focus on building our own communities from top to bottom to prevent the expansion of gentrification. We, as a community, need to come together and find a solution that will better us and low-income persons or families as well as local business owners. This way, we can end gentrification once and for all, all while maintaining the advantages gentrification brings such as reduce crime rate, cleaner streets, and more.