Gentrification: improvement or unfair displacement?

Gentrification hits the Bay Area By Isaiah Jurado

Gentrification is nothing new. It has been happening throughout the United States for a few years now, forcing those who can’t keep up with rising rent prices to search for more affordable housing elsewhere. Slowly it has crept closer to home, and now it is making its mark in the Bay Area. But before we can condemn it, we need a basic understanding of its effects.

Gentrification describes a situation in which an influx of middle class families and businesses move into low-income neighborhoods which subsequently cause an increase in property value. Doesn't sound so bad right? But once we look at what it does to the current inhabitants of these low-wage neighborhoods, it loses a great deal of its appeal.

As a result of increased residents and business, the property value of these neighborhoods rise and the current residents simply can’t afford to live there anymore. As the community sees a dramatic flourish, the people who have spent their lives there don’t have enough money to watch it grow.

African American families in Oakland have decreased almost fifty-percent since 1990 to 2011. Unfortunately, African American and Latino families are usually the victims of gentrification due to their high inhabitance of low-income neighborhoods. Not only are they forced out of their communities due to the inability to keep up with rapid property value increases, but now they must commute farther to their jobs and schools. Larger metropolitan cities such as San Francisco and New York have also been dealing with gentrification. Even movie director Spike Lee has taken notice and expressed his disgust with the recent rise in the gentrification of many New York neighborhoods including Harlem, Crown Heights and the Bronx.

Others argue that gentrification improves the community by investing in it. With the increase of property values, there is also an increase in businesses, schools, community parks and a decrease in crime rates. "Change is always good" states Councilman Larry Reid of East Oakland who is proud to see ethnic diversity in the new residents and businesses which dismisses the “white people taking over” notion that commonly accompanies the term gentrification.

So who do we blame for the displacement; the middle class families looking for affordable housing or the businesses that follow their clientele?

Sadly, there is no simple answer.

One obvious solution is to promote home ownership. As home owners, individuals are not subjected to the steep increase in rent prices that accompanies gentrification. But of course home ownership is not a feasible solution for everyone in these economic times.

A community can offer a great sense of security and stability for an individual. For a community to know that it can be compromised by external economic forces can be unsettling. Gentrification, although economically beneficial, can change the cultural identity of neighborhoods for good. Community initiatives such as those by the New York based El Puente group fight gentrification by establishing a cultural presence, promoting health and education within their neighborhood. As individuals, we need to invest in our communities in order to establish our presence and identity -- if not, others will.