According to the New Oxford American Dictionary, gentrify means renovate and improve (esp. a house or district) so that it conforms to middle-class taste; make (someone or their way of life) more refined or dignified. In the chapter “Neighborhood Effects in a Changing ‘Hood,” Lance Freeman presents various vantage points regarding the effects of gentrification. Freeman’s ultimate claim, however, is that no blanket statement can be applied to a gentrifying neighborhood. Such a process is neither entirely good nor entirely bad; there are many variables that need to be considered.
The perceived goals of gentrification have long been positive. Freeman cites early literature that supports the claim that improved housing stock, an increased tax base, new jobs, greater commercial activity and improved quality of services may all result from the neighborhood effects thesis. The contrasting belief that low-income households may have also been losers in gentrification, victims of displacement, is not as widely supported. But which view holds true?
Through previous literature, Freeman provides readers with several important factors that may result from gentrification: peer effects, collective efficacy, social ties and institutional resources. If implemented correctly, Freeman posits that the aforementioned factors can help, rather than hinder, gentrifying neighborhoods. These cases are not always perfectly implemented, however. During my previous IDC 3001H course, I had to analyze the effects of gentrification on Spanish Harlem. After speaking to several community members and an elected official, the shifting demographics of the neighborhood were forcing local business to close and people to move out. When this becomes the result, gentrification no longer provides a beneficial means of change for community members.
Freeman’s writing, coupled with my past experience in Spanish Harlem, made me realize that the best-case scenario is striking a happy balance between poverty deconcentration and the welcoming of “gentry.” Freeman describes very well how the personal interactions between gentry and older residents affect communities and people in complex ways. If the adverse effects of gentrification such as skyrocketing real estate prices (which often leads to the displacement of older residents) can be limited, then its true benefits can be realized.
