The Gothamist ran an article about gentrification a couple years ago in their column Ask a Native New Yorker. The response they received was overwhelming, and one such response was published. A native to Bushwick, Rosa Rivera was displaced by increased rent in the neighbourhood and saw the gentrification of her block right after she left. Her anger over it is powerful. Rivera lends a voice to the multitude of displaced people who, undoubtedly, yearn for the security and appeal of gentrified neighbourhoods but don’t want them at their expense. What was once her home is no longer accessible to her due to the marketing toward affluence that pervades the neighbourhood. The image evoked – a woman locked out of a place she used to call her home – strikes a chord of fear and insecurity within us all. It forces us to ask the question if gentrification is really worth it, or if the human cost is too high.

Article can be viewed here.

Question: What is your opinion on gentrification, both before the course and after it? Was it affected by your research on Bushwick / the Bushwick walking tour, and if so, how?