Quote:
Originally Posted by ue
This assumes non-affluent neighbourhoods need improvement. Not all gentrification occurs in bombed out post-industrial neighborhoods; in fact, most do not. I'm not against improvements where necessary, but I look at what gentrification has done to Vancouver and Toronto, let alone global cities, and I'm unimpressed. It merely displaces the marginalized, the working poor, the innovators, and increasingly even the middle class, and makes cities bastions of the hyper elite and the hyper elite only.
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Well said. Cities should be first and foremost about community. I dont think theres anything wrong with making money. But when I look at hyper-gentrified neighborhoods, all I see is rampant greed. I think a successful neighborhood is one where people of all incomes can live relatively side by side, this is what has always made cities more appealing than walled off suburbs. But it seems to me, we are simply recreating these dynamics in urban areas now.
There was someone in the comments section of that article (and others here in this thread) who basically take the viewpoint of "what does it say that someone can come into your run down neighborhood and do in 5 years what your people couldn't do in 30 years"? I find this inherently offensive, and frankly imperialistic. This whole notion that "we known better than you do whats best". Run down by whose standard? I see GORGEOUS victorian era homes being demolished in this city every day because some neavau rich thinks theyre "run down". Its like when you talk to someone who grew up poor, but didnt know they were poor until someone pointed it out to them. While they didnt have lots of "things", they were generally happy. The vast majority of the world finds happiness on earnings far less than the average American. Your bank account or the square footage of your condo does not make you who you are.
My SO grew up and still lives in Little Village, which is a primarily tight knit mexican community here in Chicago that is beginning to face these issues. She HATES having this conversation, because as soon as people find out where she lives, its immediately the first thing people ask her about. "Oh, what are your thoughts on gentrification?" Its the least interesting topic of conversation you could possibly bring up. Its like a bunch of suburban dads sitting around talking about their portfolio balances. She'd rather talk about culture, or art, or food, or gardening, or literature...the kinds of things most people would usually rather talk about it theyre not self absorbed and trying to flaunt their wealth.
Her block is as I said a tight knit one, and she knew everyone in the neighborhood growing up. To this day, her parents, her sister, and herself still own property on the same block and have been there for 30+ years. And its that way on many blocks. It feels like a community. They werent sitting around obsessing about property values or trying to get in on the next "hot" place. They simply bought homes in an area most other people didnt give a shit about (in fact one many openly derided), and lived their lives. Yea there were gangs but it wasnt in the sense of this scary "other". It was simply, "oh yea, thats Carlos and I've known him since I was in first grade. Hes kind of a fucking idiot. hes probably done shady shit but he'll do an awesome job detailing your car if you ever need it". So you can imagine how surreal it is to now have people talking about your home, and your community, in these other sorts of terms...in terms that have nothing to do with you and the people you care about, and the businesses and homes you love, but as simply a place for real estate vultures to come in and remake to some sort of trendy global standard. And having to deal with the assumptions they make about you, just by virtue of where you live. She had a co-worker say to her, when she told him where she lived, "oh, of course you live there now that its trendy to do so". She nearly smacked him upside the head. Or the new residents who have come in have culturally appropriated aspects of her upbringing ("tacos are a quirky novelty!" vs "tortillas and rice and beans are what I ate every single day because it was literally our diet, and i was embarrassed about inviting other kids over because its what our house always smelled like").
Or here's another thing, its common for everyone to play music at full volume outdoors on weekends. You can hear three or four different Mexican folk songs drifting over from surrounding homes. Its always been this way, because again, no one ever gave a shit and it was understood that you can do the same if you want. People throw impromptu parties that go late into the night. And peple also own roosters that are up at dawn. But suddenly, a new person moves in and makes complaints. Sure, theyre technically right, but as The Dude would say, "Youre not wrong Walter, you're just an asshole". The only thing the old residents feel is resentment, because its someone who dosent understand the culture thats been there for decades and thinks their version of culture is inherently superior, simply by virtue of being new and having more money.
I spent some time the other night walking around Roscoe Village, which I think can safely be considered one of the neighborhoods of Chicago that saw heavy gentrification over the past 20 years, and has now entered something beyond that (multi-million dollar homes). I no longer recognize the city I thought I knew when I walk down residential blocks there. Virtually all of the old frame and brick homes have been demolished and replaced with insular tacky mansions. Theres also a decided lack of diversity among residents, both economic and racial. I look at how rapidly the old housing stock is being lost, and it truly saddens me to see such a lack of appreciation for what made this city unique and appealing in the first place. Theres no culture being produced, nothing of lasting importance. Theres no zest for life. Its simply people trying to outdo themselves, and thats about it. If we see this is the ideal endgame for every neighborhood that currently falls below that standard, I question what it is we're chasing as a society.
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