Gentrification: the process of renewal and rebuilding accompanying the influx of middle-class or affluent people into deteriorating areas that often displaces poorer residents. There are many social scholars who warn that the gap between the “haves” and the “have-nots” is widening at an alarming rate—and that the rift between the two groups I already quite massive. Gentrification is a process that corroborates these social scholars’ fears, as it a very real occurrence happening in major cities around the world. Certain “slummy” areas in New York, for example, have long been converted into posh hangouts for the newest generation of urban yuppies. Seattle is no different. The article we read this week, “Cultures Clash as Gentrification Engulfs Capitol Hill,” points out how the formerly tucked-away neighborhood of Seattle has emerged in the spotlight as a popular spot for nightlife. Residents of Capitol Hill who remember when it was a refuge for non-normative sexualities, lament how it is has been thrust into the limelight and subject to the zeal of urban developers.
Gentrification has surely and steadily pushed up rent prices in Seattle, and it affects those with the least amount of money to spare the most. The poor are pushed farther and farther away from the city center, in less and less desired areas, contributing to the growing rift between the haves and the have-nots. In addition, the skyrocketing rent prices affect university students as well. Housing prices increase when rent increases in the U-District—slower than normal, because of a form of subsidies, but they are rising. As the University of Washington becomes a more attractive university, in terms of academics and “brand” recognition, it will elevate the status of its surrounding neighborhood, catalyzing the process of gentrification.
As Manuela noted in the Skype conversation last Friday, gentrification has also affected Berlin, specifically in the creation of industrial/working-class neighborhoods and more affluent neighborhoods. Kreuzberg, where we will be staying, has a reputation for being a primarily immigrant, working-class neighborhood. Manuela discussed how Kreuzberg was not selected for remodeling by Berlin’s city government; as such, it remains one of the older parts of the city. In this case, the remodeling of other neighborhoods in Berlin, but not primarily working-class ones like Kreuzberg, contributes to the idea of a rift between those with money and power, and those without money and power. Ladd also mentions the question of gentrification in the satellite cities surrounding Berlin. According to Ladd, “Most Westerners find them ugly, and after reunification some demanded that they be demolished—a completely impractical idea in a city already suffering a housing shortage. Westerners made the false assumption that such complexes were slums inhabited by the dregs of society” (191). Gentrification in the areas surrounding Berlin suggests that gentrification within Berlin is already occurring.
I can testify to the existence of gentrification in Portland, Oregon. I have lived just across the river from Portland until I came to the University of Washington, and in that time, I have noticed insane amounts of gentrification. My mother works at a well-known hospital in NE Portland; the hospital is not in one of the best neighborhoods in Seattle. There is a lot of crime and poverty in the area immediately surrounding the hospital. Three years ago, developers rolled in and started building sleek apartment complexes and chic boutiques and cafés. New Seasons built a giant store (it is a local version of Whole Foods). Right near the hospital, right in the heart of this primarily blue-collar neighborhood. And then, doctors and surgeons who work at the hospital started to buy up land and houses nearby, displacing the former residents and reinforcing the forces of gentrification. Now, the area near the hospital is unrecognizable, having been pumped full of money and swarming with urban yuppies. This process is being played out in many other parts of Portland, pushing away the poor to more undesirable locations.
As I have noted, gentrification affects those with the least amount of money (and power) to spare the most. Immigrants, people of color, people marginalized or excluded from mainstream society for a variety of reasons. Regardless of the place—Seattle, Berlin, Portland—gentrification affects the same kinds of people: those without the resources to fight back. Gentrification therefore reinforces the immigrant/native binary, the schisms between the working class and the middle class. It creates strong local neighborhood identities: working class, immigrant, middle class, rich, etc. These classifications are arbitrary, but they are affected by the ways that the neighborhoods are perceived visually.
Gentrification has surely and steadily pushed up rent prices in Seattle, and it affects those with the least amount of money to spare the most. The poor are pushed farther and farther away from the city center, in less and less desired areas, contributing to the growing rift between the haves and the have-nots. In addition, the skyrocketing rent prices affect university students as well. Housing prices increase when rent increases in the U-District—slower than normal, because of a form of subsidies, but they are rising. As the University of Washington becomes a more attractive university, in terms of academics and “brand” recognition, it will elevate the status of its surrounding neighborhood, catalyzing the process of gentrification.
As Manuela noted in the Skype conversation last Friday, gentrification has also affected Berlin, specifically in the creation of industrial/working-class neighborhoods and more affluent neighborhoods. Kreuzberg, where we will be staying, has a reputation for being a primarily immigrant, working-class neighborhood. Manuela discussed how Kreuzberg was not selected for remodeling by Berlin’s city government; as such, it remains one of the older parts of the city. In this case, the remodeling of other neighborhoods in Berlin, but not primarily working-class ones like Kreuzberg, contributes to the idea of a rift between those with money and power, and those without money and power. Ladd also mentions the question of gentrification in the satellite cities surrounding Berlin. According to Ladd, “Most Westerners find them ugly, and after reunification some demanded that they be demolished—a completely impractical idea in a city already suffering a housing shortage. Westerners made the false assumption that such complexes were slums inhabited by the dregs of society” (191). Gentrification in the areas surrounding Berlin suggests that gentrification within Berlin is already occurring.
I can testify to the existence of gentrification in Portland, Oregon. I have lived just across the river from Portland until I came to the University of Washington, and in that time, I have noticed insane amounts of gentrification. My mother works at a well-known hospital in NE Portland; the hospital is not in one of the best neighborhoods in Seattle. There is a lot of crime and poverty in the area immediately surrounding the hospital. Three years ago, developers rolled in and started building sleek apartment complexes and chic boutiques and cafés. New Seasons built a giant store (it is a local version of Whole Foods). Right near the hospital, right in the heart of this primarily blue-collar neighborhood. And then, doctors and surgeons who work at the hospital started to buy up land and houses nearby, displacing the former residents and reinforcing the forces of gentrification. Now, the area near the hospital is unrecognizable, having been pumped full of money and swarming with urban yuppies. This process is being played out in many other parts of Portland, pushing away the poor to more undesirable locations.
As I have noted, gentrification affects those with the least amount of money (and power) to spare the most. Immigrants, people of color, people marginalized or excluded from mainstream society for a variety of reasons. Regardless of the place—Seattle, Berlin, Portland—gentrification affects the same kinds of people: those without the resources to fight back. Gentrification therefore reinforces the immigrant/native binary, the schisms between the working class and the middle class. It creates strong local neighborhood identities: working class, immigrant, middle class, rich, etc. These classifications are arbitrary, but they are affected by the ways that the neighborhoods are perceived visually.