San Francisco Gentrification Case Study

In order to understand our statistical data, we must first accurately grasp the definitions of gentrification and displacement. Gentrification means a demographic or physical change that conforms to the middle class. The financial definition of middle class means that a single individual or household makes between $50k-120k annually. Uniquely, displacement is the removal of something or someone by something else that takes their place. In our case, looking at gentrification in the San Francisco area within the last 10 years will possibly birth an explanation as to why Artist displacement is/was on the rise. San Francisco was once notorious for its urban renewal that lowered housing affordability for its displaced residents. Starting in the

The strict regulations of building codes concerning vibrations of the earth and San Francisco’s residents’ love of cars prevented loft conversions on a large scale. Around 1993, the new loft projects that were supposed to create affordable housing increased real estate figures dramatically to levels that were unreasonably high; this happened in the Soma area of San Francisco. There were also the beginnings of live-work occupancy lofts in individual zones designated by the Planning Department in 1989 at the south of Market Street. The key stipulation was that “work” be restricted to “arts activities.” Change began primarily with the zoning requirements in SoMA that permitted large-scale developments and prevented community-oriented designs. This is also how low-income immigrants secured their place in Soma. “Low-income immigrants later found their home in SoMa as rents stayed below the city average”(Phillips). Young entrepreneurs, attracted by the vicinity of SoMa to downtown and low-cost rent, began renting the available empty spaces in SoMa. “Developers soon followed, taking advantage of the flexible zoning, empty warehouses, and lots to build high-rise apartments buildings and office buildings. By the mid-1990’s the dot com boom had established itself in the Bay Area, and SoMa was quickly becoming the San Francisco hub of the

The Mission, claimed by many as the heart of the city, has become the most attractive location for tech companies looking to swoon in on the proximity of the location and low housing costs. Airbnb and Dropbox are just some of the tech companies that have moved in and disrupted the aura of the neighborhood. The community walls are decorated with murals that give the area it’s own identity. The mission is primarily host to an enormous Latino community that has faced the effects of gentrification since the early seventies. “The Mission community first faced the threat of gentrification in the late seventies as wealthy Arab and Asian families began purchasing large parcels of land in the area”(Phillips). Mission was labeled as one of the poorest neighborhoods in San Francisco about 25 years ago. With the dot com era, small businesses such as bodegas,
99 cent stores and rent controlled apartments are disappearing at an alarming rate. They