Abstract
Gentrification, or the urban refashioning process, causes social and economic shifts in the neighborhood and has profound effects on the African American community. The literature review is dedicated to the psychosocial impact of gentrification on African Americans and covers themes of social inequality, cultural dislocation, and other psychosocial stressors. This paper reviews peer-reviewed journal articles to reveal the complex impact of gentrification and to substantiate why we should address its adverse effects on psychological stability. The removal of affordable housing by the rise of property taxes is a stigma of African people who find it hard to stay and, in the end, become homeless, further perpetuating poverty and inequalities. However, the emergence of so-called well-off people, most of whom are white, in redeveloped neighborhoods makes the existing African Americans go to the edge, influenced by their cultural heritage and social concord. These disruptions further exacerbate Mental health disparities through the stressors associated with them, such as housing insecurity, a sense of powerlessness, and racist experiences, among others. Realization and squared-off are the pillars of which African American communities are against the harmful influences of gentrification.
Introduction
Gentrification is a complex restructuring of the urban environment and usually leads to the displacement of minority communities, especially African Americans. This review addresses the psychological consequence of gentrification on the people and communities of African Americans. The review aims to delve into the allegedly subtle psychological impact that characterizes gentrification and embraces the experiences of displacement, cultural erasure, and socioeconomic inequality. Identifying these psychological ramifications is overall essential for formulating conscious interventions that will be effective in reducing such consequences of gentrification on African American communities. Through gentrification, African American communities may suffer from various socioeconomic divides, cultural displacements, and psychological strains.
Socioeconomic Disparities
Indeed, the urban areas’ gentrification may be considered a sure indication of an urban revival despite its devastating socioeconomic impacts on the African American communities.This part deals with the socioeconomic outcomes of gentrification by emphasizing the creation of affordable housing, higher property taxes, and expulsion alongside homelessness (McGuire & Miranda, 2008). Rising rents and the resulting displacement of long-term, low-to-moderate-income residents are among the most noticeable effects of gentrification on African American communities. Redevelopment of neighborhoods naturally induces boosts in property values and, consequently, increases rents and housing costs. Such an effect usually leads to the dispersal of the residents who used to live there because they can no longer afford to live in their communities anymore. A shortage of affordable housing is a big issue for African Americans, whose mean incomes are lower compared to those of whites. This issue is even more significant because it will worsen existing economic differences and the continuous cycle between poverty and inequality.
Moreover, the property taxes that rise as a result of gentrification create another financial burden African Americans have to bear. Consequently, as land values increase, taxes also increase, leading the residents to struggle with high house prices and less discretionary income (Redwood et al., 2010). The property tax increase often triggers financial turmoil for poor individuals and families living primarily on fixed incomes. It might put them on the verge of economic instability, simultaneously making them pay the housing bills, food, healthcare, and education.
Gentrification-caused flows may worsen socioeconomic discrepancies in African American neighborhoods. The wealthy gentrifiers can drive out and buy out the initially existing owners/ residents with low- incomes. It is not just the individuals and families who get their homes uprooted; the social networks, community ties, and critical support also get broken (McGuire & Miranda, 2008). Therefore, people frequently fall into housing difficulties that make it hard for them to get alternative, affordable housing places, and the tasks of the new environment can be challenging for them.
Additionally, the decline in the number of cost-effective housing alternatives and the displacement of residents accentuate the problem of homelessness among African Americans in gentrifying communities. Displacement of individuals and families could result in a situation where they cannot secure housing arrangements. Consequently, the problem of homelessness or housing instability may occur (Redwood et al., 2010). Therefore, it worsens the situation of people by increasing their poor health, failing economic status, and marginalization. Moreover, the absence of affordable housing alternatives reinforces poverty and homelessness cycles, which make it virtually impossible for the African American XXXentryXXXionn, in particular, to leave the realm of socioeconomic marginalization.
Cultural Displacement
Along with gentrification, the personification of cultural displacement in African-American communities is indispensable, and it has different social implications, namely, the social cohesion and the resistance of the community. Even though each neighborhood has a different adjustment process, they all participate in a typical cycle of demographic changes, including the migration of affluent people, mostly of white origin, to these areas (Tran et al., 2020). The rising rents, as a consequence, may push out the entrenched Black residents and, over time, lead to the removal of cultural traces and the relocation of the community members.
The cultural displacement caused by gentrification represents one of the most significant wounds for African Americans as far as social unity is concerned. When a community is going through gentrification and new people start coming in with various socioeconomic classes and different cultural values together with those already there, it may all become too much, and the ties in the community are sure to be challenged or weakened. Inhabitants within a particular locality can distance themselves from social circles and regional organizations, complaining of being excluded. These people may isolate themselves from others (Gopalkrishan, 2018). However, a decline in face-to-face contact and a loss of social cohesion can additionally create a separation between belonging and a collective identity that serves as the pillar of African-American communities.
In addition to these, gentrification is a complicated issue, and the cultural heritage and traditions of the community are in danger of gentrification. The newcomers from high-income neighborhoods tend to erase old residents’ culture and tell their own stories; the new residents need to understand the established residents’ cultural backgrounds. Thus, there are too many possibilities that institutions that define culture and identity can be transferred, for example, churches, community centers, and businesses; all these have been the strength of the African-American community and have a crucial impact on their identity and unity. Initially, the African American community members may experience a sense of loss of their culture and dislocation because of the commercialization and gentrification of the cultural realms and accommodating the more affluent newcomers.
Another issue that may result from gentrification is the cultural displacement of Black Americans, which amplifies existing inequalities in resources and opportunities within the community. As a result of higher property values and rents through gentrification, there will be an impact on the current residents through increased financial pressure and housing instability, so it is doubtful they will contribute at the same rate to their communities (Gopalakrishnan, 2018). Subsequently, the removal of African American businesses and cultural centers brings about a decline in economic avenues and social circles, thus promoting the poverty cycle and marginalization; this is especially true in gentrifying communities.
The unimaginable psychological impacts of cultural identity erosion and relocation of the African American inhabitants living there for a long time is one of the problems the people face from the process of gentrification in the lives of African Americans. The absence of the known place, friends, and systems that guide culture could evoke emotions such as African loss, pain, and confusion that can be evident in Stress, fear, and depression (Smith et al., 2019). On the other hand, when there is destruction of the history and culture of black people through slaughter or burials, they may start to experience poor self-image, aloofness, and separation.
Psychological Stressors
The health of the mind of the African American community goes down drastically along with the psychological taxes brought out by gentrification, making worse the social divide and several other issues. In this series, we will look into the psychological distress of African Americans about gentrification, mainly through homelessness, lack of power, and racial discrimination. The most pressing issue of psychological Stress in newly renovated communities is housing security as families deal with the dilemmas of maintaining housing availability and affordability (Tran et al., 2020). The fact that living out of the City and renting a house or deleting remained one of the most typical problems for most African-American residents is no surprise. This concern is one of the reasons why they could increase their levels of Stress and anxiety since they have to worry about where they are going to be safe and have their home (Holt et al., 2020). The fear of losing what is considered a home place, the spot of defense and security, can cause people to feel threatened, causing emotional and psychological distress in the residents.
Lack of control is one of the psychological difficulties that are on African American residents at the time of gentrification. These redevelopment processes initiated by external investors and developers and where residents merely watch the process with unheard voices and no control over the reshaping of the neighborhood are the fuel for all this anxiety. Traditional natives are away from their homeland and social structures. As a result, they may feel powerless when they witness the disappearance of their cultural identity and social networks (Smith et al., 2019). The inability to make the right decision may lead to misperception, doldrums, and hopelessness, undermining psychological well-being and resilience, especially when life is tough.
The racial discrimination through which African Americans go also makes the list of the other psychosocial stressors in the process of gentrification. When neighborhoods go through demographic changes, African Americans encounter detrimental dynamics from new residents, landlords, and municipal authorities under the guise of subtle or overt forms of discrimination. Discrimination has become more common, and it can present itself as disparate treatment in housing, employment, and public services, among other things, as well as the adaptation of subtle microaggressions and stereotypes by the immigrant community (Gopalakrishnan, 2018). Experiencing racism or being discriminated against might cause anger, depression, and an alienated feeling. It may also lead to psychological Stress and weaken fellow humans in one’s community.
In the same way, the disappearance of familiar surroundings and social networks often triggers hopelessness and loneliness among Africans residing in gentrified communities. While aging residents are evicted or become too poor to live in their communities, they could lose established relations with friends, relatives, neighbors, acquaintances with old amenities, and other resources. Crucial relationships and connections to a social community may be compromised due to this loss of social support and community ties, intensifying the Sense of being alone and isolated, negatively affecting the psychological well-being and resilience of the individuals (Holt et al., 2020). Besides that, eliminating cultural sites in an area may provoke grief and mourning among residents who watch their neighborhoods change and the history and identity they all share.
Conclusion
African American communities face problems relating to their psychology resulting from gentrification. They are through socioeconomic inequality, cultural displacement, and psychological stressors. These categories make social and economic disparities appear the norm, thus disrupting communities and eroding the quality of life of their residents. Such problems call for a holistic approach, which includes grassroots involvement, affordable housing programs, and anti-displacement policies. By enabling those affected directly and elevating their needs, leaders and practitioners can thus diminish the adverse psychological effects of gentrification. Leaders can achieve this goal through inclusive strategies that provide a platform for dialogue and participation, promoting resilience and unity within the community circles. By acknowledging the specific situations and demands of African Americans, developing interventions can be in a way that is more efficient in alleviating the multi-dimensional effects of gentrification, increasing the equitable and favorable urban environment for everyone.
References
Gopalakrishnan, N. (2018). Cultural Diversity and Mental Health: Considerations for Policy and Practice. Frontiers in Public Health, p. 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2018.00179
Holt, S. L., del Río-González, A. M., Massie, J. S., & Bowleg, L. (2020). “I Live in This Neighborhood Too, Though”: the Psychosocial Effects of Gentrification on Low-Income Black Men Living in Washington, D.C.. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-020-00870-z
McGuire, T. G., & Miranda, J. (2008). New Evidence Regarding Racial And Ethnic Disparities In Mental Health: Policy Implications. Health Affairs, 27(2), 393–403. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.27.2.393
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Smith, E. P., Witherspoon, D. P., Bhargava, S., & Bermudez, J. M. (2019). Cultural Values and Behavior Among African American and European American Children. Journal of Child and Family Studies, p. 28, 1236. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-019-01367-y
Tran, L. D., Rice, T. H., Ong, P. M., Banerjee, S., Liou, J., & Ponce, N. A. (2020). Impact of gentrification on adult mental health. Health Services Research, 55(3), 432–444. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6773.13264
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