On the overpass leading into Yonkers is a large sign which states "GENERATION Y" short for generation Yonkers. After some research I found out that this was a plan to revitalize Yonkers. Mayor Mike Spano has approved for one billion dollars to be used fix up downtown Yonkers, focusing on the riverfront, in order to attract young business men and women. The idea in itself is wonderful. Not only are they fixing up dilapidated buildings, they are also bringing in new businesses that will stimulate the economy. The problem, however, is the effect the revitalization has on the homeless community. The project is already underway; new “trendy” stores have been built alongside the luxury high rises located near the waterfront. While this improvement should be happily received by residents, one must question what will happen to the current residents and, more importantly, the homeless population that rely on establishments that have been around for decades. This change …show more content…
The average price of the condos on the waterfront went from $219,000 to $200, 000 in the past few months (Seward pg.2, 2015). This decrease in housing prices is not common, though. It is found that when gentrification occurs, the average rents in a neighborhood rises. This is due to new renters who come to these neighborhoods who can afford to pay higher rents which raises the rent (ICPH pg.2, 2009). Resultantly, this causes people to move due to the increased rent. However, what is happening now in Yonkers is the reverse effect. This decrease in value can be attributed to the current state of Getty Square and the homeless. Yet, this statistic will not last forever. In fact, the fervor the Mayor has for this project will ultimately force him to make a critical decision: continue to rebuild Yonkers while still maintaining a place for the homeless, or get rid of them in order to increase rent
Public housing has affected Cleveland since the 1930s beginning with the 1937 Housing Act. This act stated that “for each new public housing unit created, a unit of substandard quality must be removed.” The quality of housing would be increased, but not the quantity (1937: Housing Act (Wagner-Steagall Act), n.d.). The establishment of public housing, made specifically for those with low income, has been involved in political issues ranging from the national level to the local level. Cleveland, the city in Ohio in which public housing legislation began, has faced a number of challenges from the beginning in financial, social, and home design aspects.
San Francisco was once notorious for its urban renewal that lowered housing affordability for its displaced residents. Starting in the
In areas of the country in where this model has indeed shown promise through results, it is yet to be determined if this approached has and can worked in the county of Los Angeles. As of today Los Angeles county holds the highest population of homeless individuals in North America. At a mere glance many can argue, that it does not do enough to solve this problem. Simply by taking a drive by the city’s largest concentration homeless individuals, Skid Row can convince any detractor or disbelievers that this model has fallen short.
People observing this phenomenon have noticed that gentrification can improve living conditions and can also leave many people displaced . But finding out if gentrification leaves a positive or negative impact on American communities will need to be determined by weighing the problems and the solutions it brings. There are multiple problems that appear with the process of gentrification. Craig S. Wilder, a history professor at
Youth Homelessness in America Every year, millions of people are experiencing some form of homelessness in the United States alone. Of those people who are experiencing homelessness, a large proportion of them is under the age of 24. Data has found that there are over 550,000 youth have experienced homelessness for more than a week over the course of a year (“Youth and Young Adults,” 2018). In many cases, youth homelessness can be prevented, but the lack of resources and services available to youth is limited. As a result, the issue continues to grow and affect more and more youth have to experience homelessness.
Gentrification is the process of renovating and improving a house or district so that it conforms to middle-class taste. Real Estate investors usually take low-income places that they feel have a chance to prosper economically, and turn them into areas that attract the middle and upper class workers. In doing so they feel like the low-income areas will be safer and more appealing, attracting more people to visit and live there. An improvement to a poor district sounds beautiful, but is gentrification as great as it’s sought out to be? Many residents have their doubts about gentrification due to the idea that the costs of their living will go up and they will be driven out of their neighborhoods.
There has to be a realistic solution that can be put into motion to benefit everyone involved. Referring again to his article “Is Gentrification All Bad?” Davidson argues that urban renewal, if done right, is not a monstrous custom that it is painted to be; nevertheless, he reasons that gentrification depends on who does it, how they do it, and why they do it. As a resident in New York, a city where gentrification is as widespread as the common cold in winter, Davidson speculates that those who go into a neighborhood with the intention to renovate houses, or abandoned buildings ought to have a good reason for it. The author points out that “Gentrification does not have to be something that one group inflicts on another…” (Davidson 349), rather, he suggests that everyone, the gentrifiers and the locals, be on the same page when it comes to developing their
These developers are only there to seek profit and don’t pay any attention to the residents. The influx of inessential development plans does no good for the deeply rooted residents. In addition to this, the same TedTalk by Liz Ogbu describes what it feels like to be gentrified as a resident. She brings up words like “vanished”, “rent doubled”, and “no longer belong” while explaining to give
The homeless in Toronto is a difficult sight to see; John Tory, the city mayor has noted his embarrassment to seeing this growing issue on the streets of Toronto. There are various ways that this issue effects the city, through the economy, the environment, jobs, stores along with having a social impact on the city. One would assume that all the money raised by various charities would lead to a decrease in the amount of homeless individuals, but there has been no notably large difference. The homeless in Toronto affecting the
There is a large issue with homelessness around the world, and Portland, Oregon, is no exception from this. Homelessness is a complex issue that hurts a lot of people. Portland officials are trying to solve the issue, so we can help these suffering people. A great deal of debate arises around this topic and there are many different arguments for how to solve it. When talking about how many homeless are in Portland, Pyzyk reveals, “This year, Multnomah County’s point-in-time homeless count showed more than 5,200 people experiencing homelessness.”
With its multilayered agenda, gentrification is only accomplished by efforts from both the public and private sectors, working to tandem to achieve the sought city change. Gentrification in NYC’s Brooklyn neighborhoods, were welcomed by increasing the cost of rent, and the intentional inhumane living conditions encouraged by landlords. As residents began to become more vocal of the adversities facing them, news’ outlets began to research and report on their findings. Dated back in 2012, the Huffington Post reported: …while the median rent in New York City rose 75 percent between 2000 and 2012— an increase 30 percent higher than in the rest of the country— the median household income in the city fell about 5 percent. This has created a dire situation for those in the lower income brackets.
In this speech, I will begin by explaining what gentrification is along with a short background on the Lincoln Park gentrification, then I will proceed to explain how the families in these areas fought for their homes, and finally I will be discussing the gentrification that is affecting citizens of Chicago today. Body I. Gentrification is the process of renovating an area to meet the standards of a different social class, typically the upper middle class. Throughout this process the price of renting and owning a home increases while family owned businesses become bankrupt. Low-income families are left homeless and without the support of a
New York City is seen as a beautiful place to visit but the reality is there’s an ugly side to the city and it’s known as homelessness. In New York it is so common to see a homeless person in the train station or on a train and on the streets sleeping. This problem has been increasing ever since the Great Depression and we need to do something to decrease the number of this population and put a full stop to it. The majority of the New Yorkers just walk past them and instead of giving them left overs they decide to throw out the food and keep moving. Not only are these people suffering due to hunger, extremely poor hygiene and inhumane living conditions but they are also victims of assault and discrimination.
The issue of homelessness in America has been evident since the early 1600’s. Across the country men, women and children spend their nights on the streets not knowing when or if they will ever find a permanent home. States and federal officials or city councils have tried to alleviate or at least reduce the number of homeless over the last several decades at a city, state or national level but it continues to be an ongoing problem. There is a multitude of factors that account for the growing homeless population that affects each state in the country differently. Though there are many contributing factors that contribute to the amount of people living on the street at any given night in the U.S.
Gentrification is seen as the development of urban areas in order to drive economic growth and opportunities for residents. However, this causes neighborhoods to change as money