Gentrification. The term conjures up images of affluent white people sipping special roast coffee on tree lined streets, with trendy shops and restaurants, in neighborhoods that were once categorized as crime ridden ghettos. Gentrification in the United States almost always takes place in poor Black and Latino neighborhoods. Communities of people who struggle to survive and raise their families in conditions that many of us have never experienced. These neighborhoods have high crime rates and an air of hopelessness. Within these communities there is a glaring discrepancy, a harsh reality of unequal and unfair. They are prime targets for developers to buy cheap, rebuild, and repopulate. Charging high rent prices that current residences cannot afford and subsequently are pushed out or displaced. Displacement can lead to loss of income and homelessness. But gentrification is not just about rising housing costs, it’s also about communities being transformed from low income neighborhoods that house people of color, to high income predominantly white neighborhoods.
Gentrification has certainly earned its negative depiction, but is there another side to the story? Can gentrification also be a help to many forgotten communities that would have beyond certainty, continued a path to ongoing crime, joblessness, and overall despair? Some cities that were on such a path have benefited from gentrification. Detroit is fast becoming an example of a forgotten city that is rebounding and benefiting from the effects of gentrification. The city is making a revival since it filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy in 2013. While it cannot be denied that rent prices in Detroit’s Downtown area have increased alarmingly and forced out some long-time residents, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan has also launched a neighborhood improvement effort, The Fitzgerald Revitalization Project. The city has invested $4 million to remove blighted structures, landscape vacant lots, and create homes for new and current residents. This will in turn increase property values and contribute to stabilization within the northwest neighborhood. The project also plans to create a two-acre park with a greenway path through the neighborhood. Roughly 600 families currently residing in the area will benefit from the improvements the project will bring.
Like Detroit, Atlanta is going through its own revitalization which has sparked debates on gentrification as well. The Atlanta Beltline Redevelopment Project is transforming the city. The Beltline is a former railroad corridor around the core of Atlanta, GA.
The plan for the ongoing project is a loop of 22 miles of modern streetcar, 33 miles of hiking trails, and 2000 acres of parks. The project is anticipated for completion in 2030. While the focus of the project will also include affordable housing and job creation, residents in communities adjacent to the Beltline are bracing themselves for ballooning property taxes and possible displacement. Mayor Kasim Reed has urged homeowners not to sell their homes cheap to predatory purchasers looking to take advantage. He suggests that residents stay in their homes because home values will only increase in these areas. The city is teaming up with the Westside Future Fund to launch the Anti-Displacement Tax Fund Program. The fund was created to guarantee that rising property values don’t force out current homeowners who can’t afford increased property taxes. Residents will not be expected to pay back any of the funds. Applications are open until March 2018 with payouts expected in the 2018 tax year.
While there is still a growing distain for gentrification and gentrifiers, cities like Detroit and Atlanta are finding ways to combat the effects of gentrification by creating programs that will allow current residents to enjoy the benefits of a revitalized neighborhood. These include: increased home values, safer neighborhoods, scenic parks, better schools, and an influx of diversity. These types of upgrades masked under the word of “gentrification” will continue. Residents should keep themselves informed as much as possible and hold those in local government responsible to ensure that they will not be forgotten and disregarded. Simply complaining to a neighbor or family members won’t protect the homes and legal rights of those affected by the ongoing changes to their “old” neighborhoods.