Gentrification Is A Double Edged Sword Essay

In the article author said, “Gentrificaton is a double-edged sword.” I agree with it, because gentrification attracts rich people move in the community, so it changes the community become a place with lower crime rate, high income residents expand tax base, so government can pour more budget into public facilities and programs. As a result of gentrification, an area increase property values, creates jobs, improve the quality of schools, and lower crime rates. Over all the community became better place for these middle and upper class people to live in. However, for those low income residents, they are not the one who get benefits from gentrification. In the article, author said, “As a result of gentrification, low income residents in the area have greater opportunities to bridge the income gap while achieving self-improvement and a higher standard of living.”, which I

In the book Regional Science and Urban Economics, it demonstrates that the result of gentrification total jobs increase, while local jobs decline in service, goods-producing and lower wage positions. And the poor residents are usually in those lower wage positions. In the article, author cited Bostic and Martin(2003)’s study, “Their studies show that after gentrification, Black homeownership increased, while low income African-American and Caucasian renters moved out.” One of the biggest reason for people rent rather than buy is cost, other reason like community and mobility is also important, but in terms of the poor, these reasons are secondary. If someone is owning a house in gentrifying community before gentrification, that means that person has a business mind and the house is probably an asset for the individual. In other words they are not belong to less fortunate groups. Gradually the underprivileged ones move out from the neighborhoods which was supposed to give benefit them from the