Resiliency In Communities

Often when one thinks about gentrification, the thought of displaced people, escalating rents and a change in culture is the first thing that pops up in mind. Although still horrifyingly true, the idea of gentrification also brings the idea of resiliency and a communities’ desires to stay until the very end. It is easy to think about all the reasons why members of a community may leave once the community is gentrified, however, Dolnick introduces the idea of how nostalgia is a driving factor in keeping members of a community in their homes and in running their businesses despite the community completely altering from what it meant to them years ago in his piece, “Staying Put in a City of Change”.  He introduces the accounts of Mr. Savarse, who owns a butcher shop but is forced to increase the prices of meats in order to make sure his business is sustainable. Mr. Savarse claims that he is the last butcher shop remaining in the Flatbush community after it had been gentrified. Dolnick parallels, Mr. Savarse’s resilience to stay in the community with Julia Walsh’s  similar story of owning a bar and experiencing how the effects of change in neighborhood affects her revenue. She recounts how sales dropped when the Irish population in Bay Ridge dropped and how it had a direct relationship with sales. Fortunately, a Chinese Population grew around the area and since “Chinese people drink”, her sales, though lower from before, aren’t the worst. Walsh brings up the idea how incoming groups in a gentrified community effect established businesses because of new preferences. Arabian and Middle Eastern families may not spend recreational time and discretionary income on drinking at bars because of cultural views. It amazed me how although community members that have nostalgia for a community that they once lived in and have witnessed the change of are at the mercy of the new communities’ preferences in an attempt to survive. It brings out a new side of gentrification. Not only do people have to live with the emotional pain with knowing their childhood community has been altered but also have to hope that they can cater to the new communities for the purposes of survival.

In his piece , “How Has Chinatown Stayed Chinatown?”, Tabor notes a few reasons why Chinatown has remained Chinatown in terms of retaining its culture and still progressing as a city at the same time. He claims that,  “owning the place”, the fact that “no one leaves”, and instead “more come”, “how it feeds everyone” and is in an “argument with itself” are reasons for Chinatowns survival. Tabor claims that the Chinese community that lives in Chinatown “owns” in terms of its legislature so it is in control of businesses that grow and the community involvement so that Chinatown remains ethnic and authentic. He claims that Chinese-Americans in Chinatown do not leave and instead span generations there. This is responsible for the strong Chinese ethnic ties that Chinatown fosters. He also claims that more Chinese are coming from China. From my experiences with interviewing Asians in Flushing, I learned that Chinese immigrants who often move to New York often try to live in ethnic niches like Flushing, Queens or Chinatown in order to remain comfortable and integrate smoothly to a new culture while still retaining their own.  This influx of Chinese- Americans forces Chinatown to cater to them and as a result, stay authentic. Although it is fostering and catering to Chinese-Americans in the community, Chinatown is progressive and is open to all cultures. The diverse cuisine that it has allows all New Yorkers to experience a new palette in taste and enjoy Chinatown as a community. The community leaders in Chinatown also “argue” with each other. This is effective because it makes sure that multiple perspectives are heard while Chinatown grows and becomes more progressive, furthering protecting the Chinatown community. Based on my research with East Harlem gentrification, the lack of an organized community is one of the reasons why Spanish Harlem has opened up to gentrification. Many of the second and third generations lose cultural values and ties with the community which make it susceptible to change. Chinatown differs where it holds on to the culture that it always had and as a result, remains sustainable, not changing yet growing as a community.