Gentrification is the process of renewal and revitalization of urban neighborhoods that bring in new, wealthier residents while displacing low-income residents and businesses. In many cases, this process is contributed to by an influx of immigrants or upwardly mobile young professionals. These are the experts who gentrify an area seeking both affordable housing close to amenities as well as a sense of community found in more densely populated areas. Areas undergoing gentrification can experience drastic changes in their demographics and built environment, which can lead to tension and conflict within the community. While some may see gentrification as a positive force that breathes new life into neighborhoods, others view it as a form of displacement that removes long-time residents and small businesses. Gentrification displaces the poor, eradicates small businesses, and leads to low economic development; therefore, gentrification is another form of segregation.
Gentrification can lead to the displacement of long-time residents who can no longer afford to live in their own neighborhood. Gentrification is often thought of as a process of “urban renewal” in which neighborhoods are revitalized and become more prosperous. However, gentrification can similarly have negative consequences for the long-time residents of a neighborhood. One of these is displacement, where rising rents and property values make it difficult for low- and moderate-income residents to stay in the neighborhood (Hwang & Ding, 2020). This can lead to further socioeconomic segregation, as new, wealthier residents move in while older residents are forced out.
Social segregation is one of the most harmful effects of gentrification. It occurs when people with different social backgrounds are isolated from each other in separate living areas. The danger of social segregation as a result of gentrification is that it can create or exacerbate feelings of division and isolation among different social groups. It can also lead to the displacement of long-term residents and a loss of community cohesion (Hwang & Ding, 2020). Gentrification is often accompanied by rising property values, which can price out lower-income residents and renters. This can result in increased competition for scarce housing and other resources, leading to social tension and conflict; in some cases, it can also lead to violence. In addition, when gentrification occurs in an area that has formerly been home to a disadvantaged group, it can further entrench existing inequalities.
Gentrification eliminates the existence of small businesses that may be important to society. When upscale businesses and residents move into a low-income neighborhood, the cost of living and doing business tends to increase. This can lead to long-time residents and small businesses who can no longer afford to live or do business in the area (Tuttle, 2020). As a result, the neighborhood becomes less diverse and often experiences negative effects such as increased crime and decreased access to essential services. Gentrification is often justified as a way to improve neglected neighborhoods, but in reality, it often leads to displacement and discrimination.
It is important to be mindful of the ways gentrification can impact vulnerable communities and work to create policies that ensure everyone has access to opportunities regardless of their income level or neighborhood. This not only displaces the small business owners and their employees, but it also can lead to a decrease in cultural and ethnic diversity, as well as job opportunities. Furthermore, gentrification has been linked with increased levels of homelessness and displacement. Gentrification leads to discrimination by eliminating small businesses (Tuttle, 2020). This leaves poorer residents with fewer choices for food, clothing, and other services, ultimately leading to increased poverty and social inequality.
Gentrification can lead to the displacement of long-time residents who can no longer afford to live in their own neighborhood. As the neighborhood gentrifies, they also become less diverse; schools in gentrified neighborhoods’ become less diverse as families are eliminated from the area. This can have a negative impact on the quality of education that students receive, as well as on their social development. The loss of diversity can also lead to racism and other forms of discrimination (Sarmiento, 2021). Gentrification is considered discrimination in schools because it often leads to the displacement of low-income students. This displacement can have a significant negative impact on their education, as they are forced to attend new schools that are often significantly less resourced than their previous school (Freidus, 2022). Gentrification similarly results in the re-segregation of schools; as wealthier families move into areas that were once home to low-income people. This can have a negative impact on the overall quality of education for poor students, as they are now more likely to attend schools with fewer resources and high levels of segregation.
There are a number of dangers associated with receiving low-quality education in poor schools. One of the most significant dangers is that students who attend these schools tend to have lower academic achievement overall. This means that they are less likely to complete their schooling and go on to reach their full potential in life (Freidus, 2022). Additionally, students who attend poor-quality schools are more likely to develop behavioral problems and to be involved in crime. They are also more likely to become pregnant at an early age and to drop out of school altogether. All of these factors can have a negative impact on a student’s life, making it more difficult for them to succeed later on in life.
Gentrification causes division among the poor and the rich, thus leading to underdevelopment in some parts of the community. Areas lived by rich individuals will always develop faster as compared to the regions occupied by the poor. In most cases poverty comes with a low level of education, which means lacking information concerning community development. Therefore, the rich will always find a way of making their structures and environment better. These individuals are also able to take their children to better schools, thus acquiring knowledge on the importance of having better infrastructure (Mordechay et al., 2019). They know that good roads will make their areas of residence accessible, thus promoting businesses. The rich can easily pull funds to construct or repair roads. Many of the poor individuals have low-level education and are jobless, making it hard for them to contribute funds to goods roads that may facilitate business opportunities and attract investors (Freidus, 2022). Due to easier accessibility, the regions dominated by the rich develop faster as compared to areas crowded by the poor; and in this manner, the poor may feel discriminated.
In conclusion, gentrification is another form of discrimination which should be avoided. It leads to the displacement of the poor who should be assisted to worse regions, thus creating room for only the rich, which is unfair. This displacement also leads to increased product prices, thus depriving the poor of a chance to meet their basic needs. To eradicate this displacement segregation, the government should protect the people earning low income from being displaced and discriminated. Gentrification leads to the collapse of the small businesses since most of the rich individuals prefer purchasing in bulks which are mainly available in well-established businesses, and is a way of discriminating against small businesses. In terms of education acquisition, children from poor families receive low education, thus equipping them with little knowledge of community development.
References
Freidus, A. (2022). Segregation, diversity, and pathology: School quality and student demographics in gentrifying New York. Educational Policy.
Hwang, J., & Ding, L. (2020). Unequal displacement: Gentrification, racial stratification, and residential destinations in Philadelphia. American Journal of Sociology, 126(2), 354–406.
Mordechay, K., Ayscue, J. B., & Civil Rights Project, P. D. C. C. for C. R. R. (CCRR). (2019). School integration in gentrifying neighborhoods: Evidence from New York City. In Civil Rights Project – Proyecto Derechos Civiles. Civil Rights Project – Proyecto Derechos Civiles.
Sarmiento, C. (2021). Not diverse enough? Displacement, diversity discourse, and commercial gentrification in Santa Ana, California, a Majority-Mexican city. Urban Studies.
Tuttle, S. (2020). Producing diverse and segregated spaces: Local businesses and commercial gentrification in two Chicago neighborhoods. City & Community, 19(4), 845-869.