GENTRIFICATION AND THE CHANGING METROPOLITAN AREA

STRUGGLES FOR HOUSING IN THE RAPIDLY GENTRIFYING CITY  

BY Z.R.

When an individual thinks of gentrification, they may think of many positive aspects of it such as revitalizing ailing communities, improving quality of life and the safer, cleaner neighborhoods it provides. One might also be drawn to the argument that gentrification is part of the natural evolutionary process a city undergoes over time, which it is. However, most city developers and gentrifiers neglect the fact that by restoring these traditionally lower income areas, they are responsible for driving out the thousands of residents who have lived there for decades, leaving them with no other recourse but to move to another area which they can afford. Also, the problem with gentrification is that it doesn’t respect things that were built there before gentrifiers move in. Communities not only see residents forced out but also pre-existing cultures destroyed. Currently, in New York City, the historically black neighborhood of Harlem in Manhattan is being rapidly gentrified by white urban youth. What are the potential effects of white gentrifiers coming into lower-class minority neighborhoods in Harlem and why are these neighborhoods being threatened by gentrification? In this post I argue that even though civilians have a right to the city, it seems only the wealthy have the power to dictate how the city should be shaped as well as the cultural and racial consequences gentrification brings.

Currently, the black population in Harlem is at its lowest point in the past 100 years, while the population of white people continually sees an increase, going from 672 white residents in 2000 to 13,800 in 2008. (Goffe 1) This area was once known as a haven for local blacks in New York City is now an area where you will see white hipsters going to fancy restaurants, drinking imported beer and shopping at new, upscale grocery and designer stores. Rose Hackman notes that if you walk down streets of Harlem today, “you will almost certainly spot more than a few white, middle-class-looking faces – something that would have been inconceivable 20 years ago.” (Hackman 1) These white gentrifiers, deemed pioneers for venturing into such a lower class, black neighborhood, seemingly remembered that Harlem is on the much- coveted island of Manhattan. With cheap rents and an easy commute to the heart of Manhattan, Harlem is now a destination neighborhood for the middle-class working in the city. There would be no problem with that if not for the fact that with the sudden influx of wealth to the area, landlords are requesting higher rents from tenants and storeowners, rents which the low class residents cannot afford. Real estate developers are seeing this as an opportunity to increase profits and purchase land on Harlem. Tenants are being forced out due to the higher rents, new condominiums are being built for the middle class whites and stores that have been in business for years in Harlem have had to close their doors. In 2011, 80% of all shops in Harlem were black owned, compared to 2015 where only 63% of shops are black owned. (Hackman 1) You may ask where do all these displaced people go after losing their shops and apartments. They may move to another lower-class neighborhood in New York City with affordable rent, stay within Harlem just at a place with rent they can afford or have to uproot themselves from New York City altogether and move to another city. With the movement, the culture of Harlem is disappearing. Many local restaurants and shops were vital to the culture and identity of Harlem. Africans who moved to New York City felt comfortable in Harlem and were able to open African stores and restaurants to express the values of their homelands. Harlem was a haven for blacks escaping racial prejudice and discrimination in the south during the 1900s. Now it seems that the pre-existing identities in Harlem are being abandoned in favor of the middle class since they have the money to buy real estate in these places. 

The struggle for living space is becoming increasingly difficult within cities such as New York due to the return to the city movement beginning in the 2000’s.  Families with low incomes are finding it increasingly difficult to find places to live in the city, as people with higher incomes than them are flooding into the city. The amount of affordable housing in cities is disappearing more and more. Gentrification has occurred for years, and seemingly puts a strain on racial relations. While urban renewal was not meant to cause divide, it does through giving more power to the haves, and giving the have not’s the short end of the stick. Blacks are beginning to feel as if their right to the city is becoming less prevalent in favor of affluent whites. David Harvey argues that the freedom to make and remake our cities is a human right, yet it is more often than not neglected. The right to the city is increasingly falling into the hand of the private industry, which places the basic need of affordable housing to the urban lower class under the desire to increase profits through real estate. While we cannot escape the fact that new housing will always be taken by the wealthy, we can do more to help out lower class residents by putting pressure on city governments to offer greater opportunity and put a greater emphasis on public housing developments. For gentrification to be a successful tool of reenergizing neighborhoods, I believe that a perfect mix of expensive and affordable housing needs to be in place, so every community can thrive and decrease the amount of displaced residents we see in the present day.

Works Cited:

Florida, Richard. "The Closest Look Yet at Gentrification and Displacement." CityLab. November 2, 2015. Accessed April 13, 2016. http://www.citylab.com/housing/2015/11/the-closest-look-yet-at-gentrification-and-displacement/413356/.

Goffe, Leslie. "The Harlem Gentrification: From Black to White - New African Magazine." New African Magazine. June 25, 2014. Accessed April 13, 2016. http://newafricanmagazine.com/harlem-gentrification-black-white/.

Hackman, Rose. "What Will Happen When Harlem Becomes White?" The Guardian. May 13, 2015. Accessed April 13, 2016. http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/may/13/harlem-gentrification-new-york-race-black-white.

Harvey, David. "David Harvey: The Right to the City. New Left Review 53, September-October 2008." New Left Review. Accessed April 27, 2016. https://newleftreview.org/II/53/david-harvey-the-right-to-the-city.

Pattillo, Mary E. Black on the Block: The Politics of Race and Class in the City. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2007.