Controversial Topic – Is gentrification another form of segregation?

You will write a position paper of 3–5 content pages (plus title and references pages) that answers the question posed by the title. (Is gentrification another form of segregation?)

Attached are the instructions in more detail along with the text regarding the topic.

ANSWER

Is Gentrification Another Form of Segregation?

Name

Is Gentrification another Form of Segregation?

Introduction

Gentrification is when a poor region is changed by the invasion of wealthy people who improve the area’s housing and set up a new business, improving the area’s economy. Considering that rebuilding and improvement in areas affect middle-class people more within the deteriorating areas, it leads to segregation as it only focuses on the affluent and low-income minority areas. Segregation is when a particular community has been distinguished from other communities. It might also be referred to as discrimination. However, this occurs more in between the rich and the poor communities. However, questions have risen questioning if modern segregation can be beneficial; some researchers have linked the relationship between the two claiming that gentrification acts as social and modern-day segregation (Lukez, 2019). Researchers claim that gentrification is a modern type of segregation as it still separates the rich and the poor in society (Yonto & Thill, 2020). In the end, it has been seen that many low-income people end up being displaced as certain areas are replaced by the rich. Hence, in this essay, I will base my argument on the side that gentrification is another form of segregation.

Position and arguments

Gentrification is separate but uneven. In research (Holopainen, 2020), he claims that gentrification is more of the reality of what people experience today, which he gives as an example to European society. However, the research emphasizes that this mostly happens concerning the skin color that people have in America. People of no color with low incomes end up being displaced by the people of color who have more power. Considering such factors, gentrification brings to light the issue that during the process, one group becomes disadvantaged as to the other group, which has low political power and low levels of riches. In America, whites get into locations that seem to be lower in terms of economic power and resources. They build their houses and set up businesses that force people of color to leave the areas. When they set up businesses, they put price tags that the low-income cannot easily afford. This causes them to relocate to places where they can afford the lifestyle. In comparison, gentrification hence demonstrates that it disadvantages the poor while the rich enjoy stable communities with rich cultures.

Gentrification hence becomes a social problem as it forces people to leave a life that others have defined due to the conditions they place within a particular area when they invade space. However, this affects the people living in the said community. Still, it also affects the population in the neighborhood as the people being displaced begin to get to the less expensive neighborhood areas. With such cases, there are increased rates of income inequality, and the filthy rich are segregated in their area while the poor are in their areas. Further research by (Christafore & Leguizamon, 2019) is done to measure how people who are being displaced move to the neighboring communities, which seems to be more affordable. They conclude that with gentrification, community income inequality is bound to increase. That also shows how gentrification has long-lasting negative effects on society by creating imbalance. However, they also show an advantage. When the richer people move into a specific community, they make it easier to access resources and provide cleaning services while improving infrastructures that help develop the economy of a specific location.

With such improvements, there are chances that the housing and the price of goods are bound to increase. However, while this is rising, the job opportunities for the less income people do not improve, making life unaffordable. The wealthy end up buying the plots that the poor have settled in; they develop them and then offer them at a higher price than what the poor used to pay before they came. It then affects the poor people as they will have to look for other places, while the rich and the middle class who can afford the housing then come to the settlement. It affects the culture of a place as people from different cultures try to make their culture stick in the area. With the distinct landscaping that they build, they also make it easy to change the cultural landscaping of the area. However, gentrification is also said to improve the lives of low-income people as people get access to manual job opportunities presented by the rich living in the area. It also helps them have access to institutions such as schools which are set up by the rich.

Despite that, there have been arguments that gentrification positively affects the community, incredibly the rich. The adverse effects outweigh the positive impact. Gentrification causes the feeling that some people have more power while others do not, which should not be felt by people in the community. Everyone should feel equal and can leave their lives as they wish. Gentrification results in homelessness due to inflation and increases in the cost of living. Further research done by (Dorner & Palmer, 2021) showcases the policy that the rich create a society that is not fit for everyone. It creates a community built by the ancestors, which does not accommodate everyone due to racism and class discrimination that makes some people suffer.

If a society means that it will develop its areas, then it should not include displacement of people; instead, it should work on creating a community that can accommodate everyone. Gentrification has been considered an ethical issue as it affects the minorities who have less power as it displaces them from their homes. One who has power has more advantages than the one who does not have control. The separation of people according to their class raises the theory of utilitarianism, where a treating person according to their color or according to their social class is harmful within society. Considering gentrification through utilitarianism, it can be concluded that the people living in the neighborhood after being displaced through gentrification have a better and happy life. However, it is more curious that the more content population is overwhelming. In communities where gentrification is experienced, the cities are advanced but not interested in improving the low-income people.

Summary and Conclusion

In conclusion, gentrification can be viewed as an all-side edge sword. Despite its adverse effects, it still has demonstrated a positive impact. Furthermore, it has been more impactful in setting apart the white and the black population. Despite this, it has been seen as a tool to improve the economy and develop infrastructures within poor communities. However, it is also notorious for displacing populations. Hence with displacing people, it can then be concluded that this is a model of inequality. However, despite that it is an active form of segregation, it creates a system that perpetuates the segregation concept as being separate and not equal.

References

Christafore, D., & Leguizamon, S. (2019). Neighborhood inequality spillover effects of gentrification. Papers in Regional Science, 98(3), 1469-1484.

Dorner, L. M., Cervantes-Soon, C. G., Heiman, D., & Palmer, D. (2021). “Now it’s all upper-class parents who are checking out schools”: gentrification as coloniality in the enactment of two-way bilingual education policies. Language Policy, 20(3), 1-27.

Holopainen, N. (2020). “Whose City? Our City!”: Layered Landscape of Gentrification in Brooklyn, New York.

Lukez, S. (2019). Gentrification and Education: Modern Day Segregation in Strawberry Mansion (Doctoral dissertation).

Yonto, D., & Thill, J. C. (2020). Gentrification in the US New South: Evidence from two African American communities in Charlotte. Cities, 97, 102475.