The gentrification phenomena that has been happening across The United States for the past few decades is very prevalent where I live in Cleveland. Parts of the west side (as well as the east side) of Cleveland are continuing to become more and more attractive to home buyers for a number of reasons. In class, we discussed three theories which aim to explain why people move into the area, perpetuating the gentrification process. Though these theories do not all offer 'umrella' explanations, to me, they seem like an all-inclusive theory when I think about my family's experience in Ohio City.
I grew up in an ungentrified small suburb just outside of Cleveland, called Fairview Park. My parents got a divorce when I was in grade school, and when that happened my dad moved into Tremont, a neighborhood in Cleveland (also a very gentrified/ still being gentrified area). Years later, he got remarried to my step mom, Jill and moved into her home in Ohio City. Not too long after, I graduated high school and moved out of suburbia to their home in Ohio City. Jill had bought the house in 2000 before meeting my dad, and totally transformed it. The three theories explaining why gentrification occurs not surprisingly explain perfectly why Jill bought the house in Ohio City.
The neighborhood has a mixture of very wealthy and very poor. Nearly half of the residents are below the poverty level, with the mean household income being $27,886 (2010). Some of the effects of gentrification include displacement. I cannot say that I know for sure that some natives to Ohio City have been displaced, but it is likely. Cleveland as a whole has had a declining population, including Ohio City. From 2000 to 2010 the neighborhood lost roughly 5,000 people. It would be interesting to see the demographics for those 5,000, as well as their reasons for leaving.
My parents are contributing to the gentrification of Ohio City and it does arguably has negative consequences. With all of the house flipping around the area, it potentially hinders the residents who are unable to keep up with the improvements around them. I looked at the housing codes that are enforced in the area to see if there have been any recent additions which could affect the residents and didn't see any. One of the great things about living in the city is that you see a mixture of houses all showing character and history.
Gentrification in Ohio City does not just affect the residents negatively, though. The economy in the area has improved greatly due to the investments in restaurants and other attractions. Small local shops and restaurants benefit greatly with the money that has been brought to the area. I encourage everyone to check out the area the next time they're in Cleveland!
Census data: http://www.city-data.com/zips/44102.html
http://www.zip-codes.com/zip-code/44102/zip-code-44102-2000-census.asp
Ohio City's website: http://www.ohiocity.org/index.php
 |
| Cleveland Neighborhoods Ohio City & Tremont |
The map above shows nicely how close Ohio City is to downtown, where both my dad and Jill work. Commute time is very very small and is close enough to bike, which they sometimes do. It is beneficial to live so close to not only work, but to the central city which offers great resources. Although the bid rent curve theory states that the closer to the city that a property is on the more expensive it will be is not always the case. Jill bought the home for $65,000 which is arguably cheaper than homes in suburbs outside of Cleveland. Rationally, it makes sense to live in a home which is near work and cheap.
Jill wasn't the first person to move into the neighborhood and she definitely wasn't the last. In class, we talked about the 'typical' gentrifiers in cities. We said that they're typically professional, educated, with no children. Not only is Jill a professional, educated and childless, but so is nearly all of her and my dad's friends who live in the area. In fact, a handful of them live right around the corner in newly built town homes located next to old Victorian homes. The rent gap theory is applied nicely to Jill's situation because she bought the home at a low cost- much lower than the potential value. She invested a lot of time and money into the home completely renovating it. What used to be a double home is now a modern livable home for one family. And, just a few years ago my dad purchased the home next door, which was once divided into 4 living units with plans to renovate (taking a little longer than expected). They're total gentrifiers.
 |
| My home on the left; the home my dad bought in 2004 on the right |
Ohio City is known for having great restaurants, a vibrant night life, and a hip pedestrian friendly place. It it completely understandable why people would want to live there. It is one of Cleveland's oldest neighborhoods, having the West Side Market- a wonderful asset to the area. If Ohio City doesn't have what that you're looking for, there is a good chance that the surrounding gentrified neighborhoods near by have it. If you weren't able to tell already, I really love Ohio City. These reasons and so much more attract people to the area.
 |
| West Side Market |
The neighborhood has a mixture of very wealthy and very poor. Nearly half of the residents are below the poverty level, with the mean household income being $27,886 (2010). Some of the effects of gentrification include displacement. I cannot say that I know for sure that some natives to Ohio City have been displaced, but it is likely. Cleveland as a whole has had a declining population, including Ohio City. From 2000 to 2010 the neighborhood lost roughly 5,000 people. It would be interesting to see the demographics for those 5,000, as well as their reasons for leaving.
My parents are contributing to the gentrification of Ohio City and it does arguably has negative consequences. With all of the house flipping around the area, it potentially hinders the residents who are unable to keep up with the improvements around them. I looked at the housing codes that are enforced in the area to see if there have been any recent additions which could affect the residents and didn't see any. One of the great things about living in the city is that you see a mixture of houses all showing character and history.
Gentrification in Ohio City does not just affect the residents negatively, though. The economy in the area has improved greatly due to the investments in restaurants and other attractions. Small local shops and restaurants benefit greatly with the money that has been brought to the area. I encourage everyone to check out the area the next time they're in Cleveland!
Census data: http://www.city-data.com/zips/44102.html
http://www.zip-codes.com/zip-code/44102/zip-code-44102-2000-census.asp
Ohio City's website: http://www.ohiocity.org/index.php
Katie, I found your perspective on gentrification very interesting because, in class, we focus more on the negative affects that it can have on minority groups. After reading your family’s experience with restoring homes built in lower income neighborhoods, I began to think about the nation’s relationship with the concept of house flipping and home restoration. Surprisingly, I was able to find several examples of this practice in the media. From what I’ve observed, mainstream entertainment has taken the course of encouraging consumers to buy cheap, pay to renovate with high quality materials and sell high—thus, perpetuating interest from higher income families to move into lower income areas. I had never before realized how gentrification is partially supported by companies and shows catering to the middle and upper classes.
ReplyDeleteAdvertisements for Lowe’s and Home Depot target “weekend warriors.” It is plausible that customers are simply making small improvements to homes in middle class suburbia, however, complete overhauls of properties scream house flipping to me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTvMCJjYnzQ
Furthermore, there are several shows featuring home improvement projects. Whether watching HGTV, A&E or Discovery, it’s increasingly common to find programs that document every struggle and hardship that most house flippers encounter. This is not just a practice on single families working toward their dream homes. Several shows feature individuals who make a living through buying and selling formerly inexpensive properties.
http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/tv/other-shows/videos/flip-that-house-reveals-kellys-first-flip.htm
http://www.aetv.com/flipthishouse/index.jsp
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/23548723/#.UWMizqlJAUU
This article also raises some very good points about the growing popularity of house flipping and its correlation with gentrification.
http://money.msn.com/saving-money-tips/post.aspx?post=78699fc7-8a2f-4be0-afb1-35887a842533
Kellie brought up a good point because I also have only really focused on the negative effects of gentrification on the under-privileged. An example would be the film we watched in class "Flag Wars", which displayed the struggle for homeowners to maintain their homes with the growing demand from the neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteI thought that people assimilating into these communities because of the low property values and proximity to the city were taking advantage of the lower class by essentially displacing them from their neighborhoods. After reading Katie's perspective on gentrified areas, I can see how there can be potential benefits for the economy of these areas. Though, gentrification benefits a portion of the people, I still feel that gentrification can do more harm than good when looking at the situation from a broader perspective.
I think that gentrification is virtually unnoticed in the middle-class because of how people look at DIY (Do it yourself) projects. Going off of what Kellie was saying, because there are so many home improvement companies and media outlooks advertising fix-it-up projects and renovation ideas, the negative effects of gentrification are never addressed. Many people, including me, probably would never consider the effects of moving into these neighborhoods, and the affect it has on the community.
Before reading this article, I only focused on the negative effects but after looking at it from Katie’s point-of-view, I think that everyone should have the opportunity for the pursuit of happiness by pursing affordable housing along with the ability to do home improvement projects on their property. In this struggling economy, why should any family turn down a bargain?
I don't think there is any problem with gentrification in theory, as the benefits described by Katie (restaurants, nightlife, etc) can drastically improve a once down-and-out city's economy and make for a nicer, safer place to live, no matter who you are. However, I think the problem arises when the gentrifiers begin to see the area as 'theirs' and view the indigenous inhabitants as outsiders.
ReplyDeleteObviously the desire for a safer community is a respectable wish, and steps must be taken to reduce the potential for crime; but when housing codes begin to reflect the aesthetic sensibilities of the newer affluent inhabitants rather than merely safety concerns, gentrification transforms from a force of good to a force of restriction on those without power.
In the neighborhood Katie describes, with "a mixture of very wealthy and very poor," as well as "houses all showing character and history," it seems that gentrification may be a force for good in this community so far. Everyone can enjoy the progress the city has made thanks to the influx of taxes and capital to be spent. However, with a more affluent community comes a more expensive cost of living for all citizens, whether they like it or not.
It seems as though the gentrification process is still in the early stages in this area and could have more wide-ranging effects in the future as we've seen in other communities, but for now it seems that everyone is able to enjoy this vibrant city. I sure would like to check it out!
Gentrification is a tricky issue. Gentrifiers (I would hope most of the time) have no negative intentions moving into the area. As you stated with your parents, there was a simple cost-benefit analysis. This is what makes the problem so difficult. As we stated in class it isn't necessarily a good guy/bad guy situation (like so many other social problems).
ReplyDeleteI think the root of the problem lies in the fact that those with money (therefore power) have a greater say. If those with money decide that real estate is more convenient and desirable they have the the ability to take it for their own. It's not that they're bad people or have bad intentions it's just a result of a system that revolves around profit.
Perhaps there are greater tensions in your area than you realize. The documentary we watched the other day in class apparently "amplified the problem". But maybe gentrification has "invisible" wounds in the community. It's difficult to see the the harm of gentrification when we define the value of a place by the success of its economy. I wonder how long this mix of very wealthy and very poor residents can sustain itself. With the inevitable cost of living increasing it only seems a matter of time before poorer residents are pushed out.
Being from Cleveland, I have also seen the gentrification process of the city. It reminds me a lot of the Brooklyn neighborhood my sister lives in called Park Slope. This area was once a place of low-income or single young artists. Since the gentrification process began, home prices per square foot are up 174 percent in Williamsburg, from $269 per square foot in 2004 to $736 in 2012. Sandwiched in between Carroll Gardens to the west and Park Slope to its east, property values in Gowanus have gone up more than 50 percent, despite its notoriously polluted canal.
ReplyDeleteBelow is a link to an interactive map that shows neighborhoods in Brooklyn and the changes in rent they have experienced:
http://www.propertyshark.com/mason/ny/New-York-City/Maps?map=nyc2&x=0.5316666666666666&y=0.6848333333333333&zoom=1&basemap=bknhincrease&tab=themes&ll=40.627135894237,-73.9436368646481
The map shows that the majority of Brooklyn neighborhoods have experienced stagnation or an increase in rent prices, with few areas experiencing 174% increase in prices.
In addition, the movie "The Landlord" depicts the gentrification of Brooklyn in the 1970s. In 1970, Park Slope was predominantly black and lower-class. The brownstones were crumbling, and stores were closed with not much to do or see. Now, Park Slope is associated with a certain level of wealth, privilege, and "hipster" parenting. The movie also examines the deeper issue of race relations that were prevalent during that time.