Documentos de Académico
Documentos de Profesional
Documentos de Cultura
Malisa Blankenship
Hellmers
ENG 1201-B57
28 April 2019
After moving to Dayton I quickly fell in love with the history, architecture and
innovative attitude of the city itself. I was able to buy an affordable home rich in
character and conveniently located near the city center, making for a quick commute to
work and school. Exploring the downtown area, I was pleased to find amenities that
catered to my interests. Trendy bars, cafes, small businesses, bike paths, and a local
farmers market. However, I soon discovered it was too good to be true, especially for
Near all of these revitalized spaces, I would always see someone markedly
homeless, panhandling, or even digging through the trash. I wondered how can a city
that has experienced so much revitalization still lack housing and resources for its
inhabitants. That is when I learned about gentrification, and how I didn’t want to be part
When most people hear the term “gentrification”, they have one of two
responses. The first and most common response is that they have never heard of it.
Most are unaware that gentrification could be happening around them at that very
moment. If they are somewhat familiar with the term, they tend to associate it with
positive outcomes. These outcomes may include neighborhood rejuvenation, the arrival
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of new coffee shops, trendy boutiques, and an influx of hip young inhabitants. These
two common reactions demonstrate that the negative consequences that follow
underserved urban areas, the negative effects it has on the initial inhabitants should be
To understand gentrification, one must not only know its definition but explore the
historical conditions that lead to its emergence. To simply define gentrification, it is “a
government, and led to those minorities being denied loans to buy homes
(“Gentrification Explained”).
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Bound by policy, these families were forced to stay in the city as white families
Explained”). Segregated in the city, these minority communities were forced to live with
the consequences of urban renewal. This process included the removal of homes and
businesses which led to most investments being withdrawn from the community
(“Gentrification Explained”). As resources left these urban areas, what remained was
left to decay.
Now, years later, young professionals are flocking to these areas, bringing
funding and access to resources back into these underserved areas. With the price of
rentals going up, this demographic seeks to invest in affordable homes near the city
(“Gentrification Explained”). The Urban Displacement Project researchers note that this
restaurants, and art spaces. This is where the misconception arises, that gentrification
more money comes into these neighborhoods, food, shops, and education become
more accessible than it was before (PBS). Parks and transportation get much-needed
updates, abandoned industrial buildings are put to new use as shops or restaurants
(“Gentrification Explained”). These major upgrades of the city begin to attract a more
affluent population. To make space for these newcomers, high-end lofts are developed
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and landlords begin the search for higher-paying tenants (“Gentrification Explained”). As
the new replaces the old, the character of the community shifts.
One might think that based on these results, gentrification has a positive
influence on once neglected cities. However, there is a disparity between those who are
able to stay and enjoy the benefits of a revived neighborhood and those who are forced
to leave. Renters in gentrifying neighborhoods are often subject to a rise in rent as the
median income of the neighborhood increases. Desmond and Kimbro note in their
research on eviction, that currently, “the majority of poor renting families in America now
devote over half of their income to housing costs” (296). This already places a
significantly raise the price of rent to take advantage of a thriving market these families
can no longer afford the rent. Consequently, they are either evicted or involuntarily
Displacement can be defined as, “when any household is forced to move from its
residence by conditions which affect the dwelling or immediate surroundings” (Zuk et al.
25). Some may think displacement is simply solved by moving somewhere more
affordable. However, the solution is not always that simple and can result instead as a
cascade of misfortune for families facing this fate. After an analysis of mothers and
children who have recently been evicted, it was concluded that these families faced an
increase in negative health effects and material hardship (Desmond and Kimbro
316-317).
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hardship increases, or their level of poverty, due to focusing all of their time and energy
finding subsequent housing rather than their employment (300). Additionally, when
families are forced to leave their homes with a narrow window to find housing, they
usually leave a majority of their belongings behind. This happens when they lack
resources and time to properly move their belongings, resulting in a need to replace
these items in the future. When a family cannot find housing they face homelessness,
possibly living in cars, shelters, or on the street (“Pushed Out”). If these low-income
families are fortunate to find housing, they are usually moving into a more underserved
When looking at the health effects displacement has on families, Desmond and
Kimbro suggest that these families are at greater risk for depression, potentially lasting
years after their eviction, due to the stress and hardship they face (317). These families
are forced to move away from familiar surroundings causing an increase in stress
(“Pushed Out”). As for the health and well-being of the children in these families, the
Urban Displacement Project quoted from a study performed by Jellyman and Spencer
that, “outcomes identified in association with frequent moves included: higher levels of
initiation of illicit drug use; adolescent depression; and reduced continuity of healthcare”.
Aside from health effects, gentrification can cause long-lasting effects on a child
into adulthood. Constant moving around has been noted to have a negative impact on
academic performance (“Pushed Out”). When these families are forced to move to a
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can cause a child’s test scores to be lower, which has been shown to correlate to lower
community undergoing gentrification has more positive outcomes. With the introduction
of healthier food options and better access to healthcare, it is suggested that gentrified
neighborhoods self-report better health than underserved areas (Gibbons et al. 2).
However, in the study making these claims, the authors note that their results may only
result from the newcomers and not take into account the residents that were displaced
from the neighborhood (Gibbons et al. 11). The most important concept the authors
note while discussing their conclusions if that “gentrification affects people, not
neighborhoods” (Gibbons et al. 13). This demonstrates that even when it appears that
gentrification may benefit a community, there will always be individuals who will be
negatively impacted.
For the individuals who are able to stay in gentrifying neighborhoods, they find
cultural displacement feel alienated from their surroundings that are now foreign to
them. Some may report a “reduced sense of belonging” in these neighborhoods that no
longer resemble the culture and people that once inhabited it (“Gentrification
Explained”).
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(Fayyad). Residents of color who are able to stay in their neighborhood are seeing an
increase in police presence. This presence can cause tension within a neighborhood.
The new demographic may find behavior that was acceptable before as a nuisance.
This translates into an increase in police reports on minor violations, such as loitering
and noise violations (Fayyad). It is not only the new residents asking for increased
police presence, but law enforcement departments also say they proactively form units
to send into areas with an up-and-coming nightlife (Fayyad). Original resident's main
concern with this amped up law enforcement is harassment. Most worry that “greater
police presence amplifies the risk of police misconduct and violence” (Fayyad). With the
original residents being predominantly people of color, they are concerned that police
will target them for petty crimes because they look suspicious. They often look to
incidents where interactions with an officer went awry and minorities end up dying at the
hands of a police officer during a routine stop. These fears come to fruition when the
culture of a neighborhood shifts, when the original residents become a nuisance for the
To begin to address these issues, one should look to policies implemented in the
past that ensured equal opportunities within urban areas. Daniel Block suggests that
larger coastal cities are gentrifying due to a bulk of America’s largest corporations being
located in these regions. This creates an area heavily concentrated with educated
professionals who came to these areas to work for these corporations (Block). This
increase of jobs and money coming in causes these cities to thrive, leaving the rest of
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competition” policies that were set into place during the twentieth century. These
policies required that companies headquartered in large metropolitan areas could not
corner the market and “snatch[sic] capital and talent away from everywhere else”
(Block). These policies evened the playing field. Giving young professionals more
cities. Doing this enables communities to slowly grow alongside these businesses,
landlords, work together with communities to create a common vision for their
Community engagement, meeting with community leaders ensures that the voices and
concerns of those who live in the neighborhood are heard. If a particular issue is the
concern of many the community leaders can notify city leaders, starting the bureaucratic
concern, policies can then be suggested to avoid driving families out of neighborhoods.
solution”, however they give key elements to preventing displacement. These elements
preventing landlords from evicting or forcing families out through rent price hikes, the
building subsidized housing and offering tax exemptions for developing housing 20%
below market value (“Workshop Series”). These two solutions will provide low-income
housing from decaying to the point where it can not be lived in (“Workshop series”). To
preserve these units, areas would be required to enforce existing code and tap into
Most of these solutions require public investment to begin to solve the issues
others on this issue is the first step in solving it. By making communities aware of the
negative health effects, hardship and tension caused by a seemingly harmless process,
they can take action to reduce these effects. When members of a community
resources for further funding and assistance with the end goal being: making
improvements. The perks of better amenities, access to city centers, and trendy shops
are nice. However, they aren’t when they come at the expense of others. Despite the
Works Cited
Context,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A577356558/OVIC?u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&
Desmond, Matthew, and Rachel Tolbert Kimbro. “Eviction's Fallout: Housing, Hardship,
and Health.” Social Forces, vol. 94, no. 1, 24 Feb. 2015, pp. 295–324.,
doi:https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/sov044.
www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/12/the-criminalization-of-gentrifying-ne
“Gentrification.” What I Hear When You Say, episode 9, PBS, 15 March 2017,
Health.” PLoS ONE, vol. 13, no. 11, Nov. 2018, pp. 1–18. EBSCOhost,
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0207432.
“Pushed Out: Displacement Today and Lasting Impacts.” Urban Displacement Project,
Ross, Benjamin. “Fighting Gentrification, But To What End?” Dissent Magazine, 18 Aug.
2014,
www.dissentmagazine.org/blog/fighting-gentrification-development-tenants-rights
Wedell, Katie. “20 Dayton Neighborhoods Where It Is Hardest to Get a Mortgage Loan.”
www.whio.com/news/dayton-neighborhoods-where-hardest-get-home-loan/oA7H
Zuk, Miriam, et al. “Gentrification, Displacement, and the Role of Public Investment.”
Journal of Planning Literature, vol. 33, no. 1, Feb. 2018, pp. 31–44. EBSCOhost,
doi:10.1177/0885412217716439.