Specific Purpose: To persuade my classmates that gentrification is still large in most parts of the United States.
Central idea: Most families in the U.S. are losing their residences in Pilsen to gentrification.
Attention: What and how far can you go at the risk of having a home?
Creditability: When residing in Chicago during the massive gentrification, I got an opportunity to understand gentrification and its effects. I learned about the struggle low-income families faced to retain their homes. Yes, a common example of people who suffered gentrification is Puerto Rican families in Lincoln Park. In this speech, I will begin by defining gentrification, then proceed and explain its effect on most American families, and finally discuss how gentrification is being committed today.
Relevance: If you know people who were moved from their original places, the primary factors considered are location and price. This is a reality a lot of people experience when moved.
Proposition statement: Gentrification is believed to affect the most vulnerable families negatively.
Body
Gentrification, for those unfamiliar with the term, extensively renovates a neighborhood to meet primary and basic standards considering social class (the upper-class people). Through this process, the price of renting or owning a home incline, leaving family-owned enterprises bankrupt. Low-class individuals are left homeless. For example, demolishing individual homes in Lincoln Park, Chicago, was a major menace, as recorded in the program “Major Urban Renewal (Whittaker 7).” For decades, the place has been undergoing gentrification. The neighborhood was once associated with immigrants where working-class Americans resided. Now, Lincoln Park is perceived as a fancy area with various trendy stores, restaurants, and young professionals. Gentrification is also common today in Philadelphia (Whittaker 7). However, gentrification, to some, is necessary. It is a complex process, and there are two-sided perspectives. However, we must look closer at its negative impacts on communities, specifically the most vulnerable.
The first measure to comprehend gentrification is acknowledging the affected communities. People of color and lower-income communities are often forced to shift from homes once developers move in, affecting housing prices. These people are left with limited options and relocate to undesirable areas, which leads to a lack of support and community systems. As the process escalates, local businesses are replaced by larger, more effective chains, negatively affecting community culture. Since the 1960s, for example, gentrification has occurred in various cities in the U.S., such as New York and San Francisco. In Vancouver, gentrification targeted benefiting people in Downtown Eastside. Nevertheless, did the process help the people in the neighborhood? No. The process made housing prices higher than anticipated, making businesses less community-minded (Szőke and Kate 160). The old cultures and traditions of the inhabitants were erased. Also, Neubauer wrote about the effects of gentrification in South Washington, DC. He claims that in the process, where there was an upsurge of condominium construction (approximately 275%) in 18 enlisted areas, there was an increase of 100% in commercial buildings and a boost of $76.6 to District tax collections (Jackson). In this context, most non-whites were displaced and moved to undesirable areas. To comprehend gentrification and its effects, one understands its bright and dark sides.
While some believe gentrification enhances economic growth, research suggests that the process widens the wealth gap. For example, the resources and property value decrease f a new resident moves to a new place. Also, rent shoots high, making it difficult for low-income people to afford residences (Easton et al., 291). Conversely, the process leads to a loss of diversity, which hurts the communal social fabric. A good example where gentrification has caused a series of problems in Portland, especially for the queer. I listened to Doctor Sylvie Tessot’s story while visiting Boston. I analyzed the city and visited the South End gentrification. In her Speech, Tessot emphasized diversity, questioning why middle-class Americans believe in equity yet not focusing on the problem without hurting people of low incomes or color (Tessot). So, I agreed with Tessot since people who support gentrification fail to conform to fundamental social norms. So, what should we do to address the issue? The first step is to address the affected communities. Their stories might be useful in reaching a final decision. Also, we must support policies prioritizing affordable houses and rights that safeguard the liberty and rights of tenants.
Indeed, gentrification is a complex issue with more negative effects than positive results. It affects mostly the most vulnerable people, like people of color and low-income communities. We should work together to find solutions that enhance inclusion and equity. Only by listening to the voices of those who have or are experiencing gentrification can we find better policies and supporting ideas. Focusing on culture preservation, benefits from local businesses, and affordable houses may lead to a broad review of the issue. Gentrification should not be supported. Gentrification is tearing apart most communities, erasing our cultural history, and causing original homeowners to live in misery.
Thank you all.
Work Cited
Easton, Sue, et al. “Measuring and mapping displacement: The problem of quantification in the battle against gentrification.” Urban Studies 57.2 (2020): 286–306.
Jackson, Kyle A. Gentrification and the Decline of African American Arts and Culture in Washington, DC. Diss. Drexel University, 2016.
Szőke, Teréz, and Kate Parizeau. “Community-based public art and gentrification in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver.” GeoHumanities 5.1 (2019): 157-177.
Tissot, Sylvie. Good neighbors: Gentrifying diversity in Boston’s south end. Verso Books, 2015.
Whittaker, Daniel Joseph. Re-imaging antiquities in Lincoln Park: Digitized public museological interactions in a post-colonial world. Illinois Institute of Technology, 2015. 1–12.
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