[Londonee]

I always wonder the nuts and bolts of having the mentality that having your neighborhood dramatically improve is bad. If you're anti-gentrification (not saying gentrification is good or bad) and you walk down the street and see a huge pile of litter, do you think A) Bad, all of that trash adds to the ugliness of the neighborhood and should be picked up, thrown out, helping in whatever small way to beautify things; or B) Good, keep this place filthy and ugly so the rich people stay away and rent stays low..?

When you see what was formally an ugly, trash-strewn, run-down empty lot that now has a lovely 3 story brick row-home being built on it, do you think A) Great! A beautiful new home, new neighbors, new contributors and it sure beats that ugly eye-sore empty lot! or B) Darn it, those rich-people are coming in more and more now, how much did that house cost??-- next they're going to want a coffee shop nearby!

It's interesting to think that many people in Philly choose "B" for both those questions. A buddy of mine who lives in South Philly near Passyunk Ave, recently got yelled at by one of his neighbors for routinely picking up the litter on the street.