Author: Giomaris Hill
School: Midwood High School
Publication Date: July 19, 2023
New York City is constantly changing. People from various backgrounds have regularly migrated to New York City for the sake of opportunity, ambiance, and an overall better quality of life. As this trend continues, problems have risen; one of those problems being gentrification. Gentrification can be described as the process where the character of an urban area is changed by and or because of people moving into these areas. During this process, it is oftentimes lower-income communities that are altered by new wealthy residents. Affected low-income communities face a rise in the cost of living; leading to displacement.
According to an article written by Macaulay Honors College of New York City(n.d), a study conducted by Lance Freeman(2004), Professor in the Urban Planning program at Columbia GSAPP, demonstrated how gentrification impacts turnover rates in low-income communities. Freeman points out that the rise in the cost of living in these gentrified communities creates difficulty when those who are low-income have to pay rent; leading to them trying to find an affordable option and ultimately becoming displaced and replaced.
S. Wright of the Brooklyn Buzz(2023) puts this into perspective by describing the various laws put into place to promote gentrification. For example, zoning policies have encouraged the building of luxury, upscale, and high-density housing; most of which aren’t affordable for the residents of the community. The privatization and demolition of public housing have contributed to this issue as residents can no longer afford such housing.
New York City’s low-income neighborhoods are rapidly gentrifying. A process many deem progressive is altering the makeup and ambiance of these communities through displacement. Communities withstanding gentrification are trying to ensure that their home stays their home.
Before and After photos taken of various locations in NYC where gentrification has occurred (Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York / James and Karla Murray)
RESEARCH, NOTES, OR BIBLIOGRAPHY:
The effect of gentrification on affordable housing. Homelessness Affordable Housing NYC. (n.d.). https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/affordablehousingnyc/the-effect-of-gentrification-on-affordable-housing/
New York – gentrification and displacement. Urban Displacement. (n.d.). https://www.urbandisplacement.org/maps/new-york-gentrification-and-displacement/
Wright, S. (2023, March 28). East New York is up next for gentrification through “progressivism.” East New York News. https://eastnewyork.com/east-new-york-is-up-next-for-gentrification-through-progressivism/
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