Gentrification Pros And Cons

Loata Fine

Senior Research Paper (Draft #1)

Ms. Paraiso

17 December 2014

Summary

Gentrification creates a socioeconomic issue that contributes to a major decline in low-income communities of color and disruption of cultural development. This process involves investing in low-income neighborhoods that allow higher-income people to move in and reap the benefits of the improvements while the poor individuals are displaced due to unaffordable housing. To avoid the negative impacts of gentrification, cities must maintain affordable housing prices and establish forums to ensure that the old and the new cultures are preserved and developed in harmony.

Context

Gentrification is an ongoing discriminatory process in which low-income communities are being revitalized through urban development causing more affluent individuals to enter that community and

increase the cost of living making it unaffordable to the the low-income resident that have lived there before which contributes to that population being forced to move out of that particular area. Urban redevelopment attracts newcomers into buying and fixing up vacant units. Landlords take advantage of rising market values which leads them into evicting long time residents and sell it off to the more affluent individuals and that is when displacement begins. Newcomers and homeowners who are mostly part of the wealthy class cause down payment requirements to increase. Furthermore, the new residents increase demands of luxuries and low tolerance for the low-income needs and homeless populations. With prices escalating, low-income communities are being pushed out of their homes.

Land value is the how much a piece of land is worth including any improvements that are added to it. The value of property rise if a particular piece of land has an intrinsic greater value than areas that surround it. Owners use land value to determine how much to charge renters. When the practice of gentrification is applied to it, land values increase and cause poor-income communities to being replaced with more affluent families and new businesses.

Findings
In “Brooklyn by the Bay,” Matt Haber highlights the racial issues of gentrification. Throughout the article, the author includes the similarities between Brooklyn and Oakland from being underdeveloped inner cities with predominantly African-American working class to urbanly developed, nice, and "white-washed communities." The author includes distinct perspectives in this article about of individuals that are in support for urban renewal and those that are completely against the process of gentrification and displacement of poor people. Though it could play a major role in helping the Oakland community with developing its infrastructure and diversity, Oakland is seen as a cheaper option over San Francisco. This contributes to the fear that the rise in housing costs will push out the poor working-class families in Oakland, which occurred in Brooklyn. ''For many residents priced out of San Francisco, Oakland has come to be seen as a welcoming oasis, crime and civic challenges notwithstanding.'' It is quite definite that the wealthy white individuals are the ones who obtain all the power. Many of those who cannot afford housing are minorities, and wherever there is poverty, there is crime and minorities as well. Oakland is seen as a cheaper option compared to SF, and since SF is getting really expensive, even middle class individuals are moving into Oakland.

CBS Bay Area news published an article “West Oakland Community Garden Trashed By Vandals, Possibly Over Gentrification” that discuss the impacts of gentrification in Oakland. Native residents in West Oakland are angered by the new residents entering their neighborhoods and transforming it. They fear gentrification and they fear affluent individuals coming in and taking over their homes. West Oakland residents are not agreeing with individuals entering their city and pushing them out, specifically white people coming into their communities which resulted in people vandalizing the community garden because they do not want to transform and change have their entire culture be wiped away. "A fight came to a head in June when vandals wearing hoodies were captured on surveillance camera hurling rocks through the windows of a new West Oakland coffee shop called Kilovolt." Individuals that have been dwelling in these communities long before the gentrifiers are getting really angry with new people coming into their community. They despise the newcomers, because they feel that they are just going to take all that they have and leave them with nothing. These are marginalized people that are getting violent and aggressive because they probably feel like there is no way to prevent this displacement and flight of people.

“Gentrification Transforming Face of Oakland” by Carolyn Jones explains the color issues of gentrification. This article discuss how rent prices are increasing while African American population decreasing. It concluded that gentrification is reshaping the core values of the Bay. Some individuals believe that it is actually a good thing to gentrify because it uplifts the city by undergoing urban developing and building up new small companies to make that certain area thrive, but it disturbs the existing cultures and establish its own. This article includes many different perspectives for those that are for and against gentrification. "Oakland lost almost half of its African American population from 1990 to 2011, and fewer African Americans own homes... Rents in neighborhoods that were once predominantly African American, such as North Oakland and West Oakland, have risen so high they're now closing in on those in Rockridge and Montclair." This illustrated class and race issues because the African American population mainly is experiencing the negative side of gentrification. They are living in great poverty and it is impossible for them to escape poverty. They are getting the lower end of this development because they just cannot afford to do so. Black population in Oakland is slowly decreasing because they are being pushed out of this city.

Jonathan Frett examine the class issues due to gentrification in the article “Gentrification: The Truth Behind Urban Development.” This source reveals information about the process of gentrification being racist. Plus, The plan of gentrification not only supports a system of white privilege because it makes it more difficult for those living below the poverty line to start living above it. Property values are being increased and contributing to the injustice by displacing poor people because they cannot afford living in areas that that were transformed. "The problem of gentrification is creating a situation in which people have to leave their homes because of the rise in property value. The impacts of the gentrification movement can be tied to systemic racism both directly and indirectly, and it also targets them because minorities make up the majority of the working class." Gentrification is influenced by racism, and wealth. Mostly communities experiencing great poverty are impacted, along with the suburbs. Once a racial community is targeted, they increase property values causing people to leave, and most of them go into the suburban communities because they have no where else to go. It has a major impact on people lives and many communities.

In a map published by Lisa Bates, locations of gentrification are identified. The image clearly illustrates where in the East Bay are areas over going gentrification. It is color coordinated and shows the stages that districts are facing with the process of gentrification. Parts of SF and Oakland are experiencing ongoing gentrification. It is spreading throughout the Bay area. Many parts of Oakland, like West Oakland is in its middle stage of gentrification. This redevelopment is spreading throughout the Bay and in a few decades all low-income people will be completely displaced because this is a continuing process. Most parts of Oakland is susceptible of gentrification.

The article “The Bleaching of San Francisco: Extreme Gentrification and Suburbanized Poverty in the Bay Area” highlights the class issues of gentrification. This article provides a ton of information about gentrification, specifically in San Francisco. It explains how the process is inevitable, because it includes a systematic process. Currently in San Francisco, Tech companies are pretty much taking over making it unaffordable for middle and especially low-class families. In January of this year, protesters blocked unfair private tech buses to highlight the fact that the tech industry is contributing to the displacement of less fortunate individuals, because wherever tech businesses are being established, property value and rents are skyrocketing. In the 1970s African-Americans amounted to 13.4 of the population, whereas today they make up ONLY five to six percent of San Francisco’s population. Yet, they comprise of 56% of SF jail mates (how ironic) which is caused by the high unemployment rate amongst them and the high amount of poverty they live in. The tech industry is highly benefiting while the poor and working class is being pushed out of the city. This article highlights how racial and economic inequality contributes to gentrification due to the fact that when the cost of living drastically increase and people can’t afford it, then they have no choice but to leave their homes. At the same time, lives of the wealthy class is improving because they could actually afford it and the developments are made favorable to their wants and needs. They have the advantage of making their money talk while the less fortunate does not have the funds to do so.

The article “Oakland Gang Injunctions: Gentrification or Public Safety?” reveals the racial issues of gentrification. The author includes many prominent ideas around the issue of gentrification. It highlights factors that push black and brown people out of neighborhoods. “Even before gang injunctions and the foreclosure crisis, gentrification was already underway in Fruitvale. A recent East Bay Express article mentions its growing popularity as a day-trip destination for UC Berkeley students in search of cheap eats at the numerous taco trucks that cater to immigrant laborers. Longtime residents fear that the region will turn into an East Bay version of San Francisco’s hipsterish Mission district” Economic interests and the criminal system both play a great role in oppression and displacement of people because at the end of the day, the system is against black and brown people. Since they are not able to get jobs and contribute to the economy, the are neglected and pushed out. Due to being exposed to great poverty, violence is the only thing that some people resort to. Wherever there is poverty, there is crime. Due to gentrification, city planners seek to get rid of crime so that they are able to attract newcomers to enter the city and effectively contribute to the cities society and economy.

In the source “Gentrification: Practice and Politics,” the author describes different causes of gentrification.

Urban development influences the city to meet the demands of the more affluent individuals. The economy boosts, and the entire culture of the city is transformed. Money talks, and since the wealthy class moves in the are able to afford luxuries that the city must provide and they have low tolerance on funds for the homeless population and low-income individuals. “Housing market dynamics appear to play a critical role in producing gentrification, though these dynamics vary from location to location... On a more conceptual level, gentrification may reflect that previously unrecognized value in a neighborhood—quality housing stock, accessibility and proximity to downtown and/or other attractive neighborhoods—is now being recognized.” Gentrification displaces the black and brown communities and renew that city into a place that includes much more affluent people. This is unjust for the poor people because they are not given the chance to go against the forced displacement and they just cannot afford to do

so.

“In Oakland, Gentrification Comes at a Cost” by Steve Heimoff, impacts of gentrification are identified. The author expresses how much transformation Oakland has been overgoing due to urban development. Many districts that make up Oakland is changing to adapt to the newcomers. Everyone must be aware of this issue because it has the potential to reach towards a more serious problem of inequality due to race and class. The poor working class is being negatively impacted in this case because of the forced displacement to further areas that have limited resources to support themselves.
"The neighborhood is called the Grand Lake District, after the old movie theatre and, also, of course, wonderful Lake Merritt. It hasn’t been gentrifying quite as fast as Uptown, Piedmont Avenue, College Avenue or the Temescal (which may be the fastest-gentrifying ‘hood in town). But Grand Lake also is changing." This quote highlights areas of Oakland that overwent, or is overgoing gentrification. Places like Grand Lake is benefitting from urban development because of the businesses and other things that uplift the community. Like Temescal and Grand Lake, the change in an area is constantly occurring and improving for the lives of those that are able to afford to stay in that particular neighborhood.