My intention, at this point, is to create a series of post on gentrification and the attendant consequences of the process of urban development/neighborhood change or any other euphemism one uses to describe this phenomenon.
I'm a Brooklynite, and by extension, a native New Yorker. One of my greatest concerns is that I will eventually be priced out of the city that I have called home, all my life. Gentrification is the process by which this tragedy will happen, not only to me, but to anyone who cannot afford the rising rents in urban neighborhood. I plan to explore this topic of gentrification to see what it is, how it manifest, and what--if anything--can be done to prevent mass displacement of those who are in the lower strata of the socio economic ladder.
I'm a Brooklynite, and by extension, a native New Yorker. One of my greatest concerns is that I will eventually be priced out of the city that I have called home, all my life. Gentrification is the process by which this tragedy will happen, not only to me, but to anyone who cannot afford the rising rents in urban neighborhood. I plan to explore this topic of gentrification to see what it is, how it manifest, and what--if anything--can be done to prevent mass displacement of those who are in the lower strata of the socio economic ladder.
So what is gentrification?
Here's a working definition of gentrification:
Since the term gentrification first appeared in the 1950s and 1960s--coined by Ruth Glass--the debate over its meaning and impact has only intensified. The definitions range from the purely economic: such as new high-income households, housing investment, or transition from renter-to owner occupancy, to the demographic: influx of white households, college-educated residents, non-family households, to some combination thereof. Another important aspect of gentrification is the appropriation of economic value by one class from another.
Green gentrification happens when cultural institutions and environmental amenities are upgraded, restored, and/or created, signify a second front of the gentrification process; and they contribute to each other.
Sometimes the reverse happens where historical sites are demolished to make way for luxury housing and boutique hotels. This effectively erases the spatial significance and history of the former residents.
For example, historical sites, such as the Fox Savoy Theater--1515 Bedford Avenue--are being destroyed to make way for Luxury Housing. This building, with its rich history and architectural significance could have had the opportunity to gain landmark status; however, was sold by the Charity Neighborhood Baptist Church for $575,000, as a result of financial difficulty. Demolition has already begun on the interior, and it’s not clear whether the outside with be demolished as well.
What are some things that we, as residents of Crown Heights, can do to preserve our spatial environment and to stave off development that does not provide for affordable housing opportunities?
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