The discussion of gentrification in this weeks reading
(Harlem On Our Minds) was extremely thought provoking. The arguments and
opinions laid out in this book–both from the author’s unique research
perspective and from the voices of Harlem’s youth–shine light on a
controversial topic that I have little exposure to. The idea of gentrification
is very layered, as the affects on the surface seem to be “good” for the
neighborhood. When old buildings are bought and refurbished, the result would
seemingly mark an improvement for the community, but these new constructions often
come with increased rent and lease prices for the area that can displace life
long residents. Because of higher rent prices, the “improvements” result in a
swift influx of “new” neighbors to the neighborhood, people who would normally
avoid an area like Harlem if not for the nice new condos. The resulting changes
clearly have a negative impact on the low income residents of the neighborhood,
and can bring about cultural shifts in the community that are not necessarily
accepted by the long term community members.
The
ideas presented in this text about Harlem have forced me to evaluate similar
trends occurring in Austin. As we all know, Austin is among the fastest growing
cities in the country with between 150-200 people moving here every single day. This rapid growth is
very beneficial to Austin in a lot of ways, but after reading Harlem On Our Minds
I began to question whether or not a similar trend of gentrification is
happening in Austin right now. This is certainly an area I would need to
explore in further detail, but as the city continues to expand I am sure it is
pushing low-income families out of their traditional environments and into new
settings. Large condos are rising in the East side and off of South Lamar at a
rapid rate, and the small neighborhoods surrounding Austin’s downtown are
quickly becoming larger developments. Housing prices are beginning to swell and
rent is certainly on the rise in a lot of areas of Austin. One only needs to
look at Rainey Street to see the impact that a growing population has had on
small urban neighborhoods, as almost all of the houses on Rainey have been
purchased and refurbished into bars to accommodate a growing nightlife scene. These
single-family homes, like a lot of homes around the area, are no longer viable
options for low-income families. And, as areas like Rainey Street continue to
evolve as popular night life destinations, rent prices on the nearby East side
houses will continue to rise. The area, for lack of a better term, is becoming
more “desirable” to young white people, and securing a lease on a single-family
home around the area is becoming more competitive. This influx of new residents
can also begin to shift cultural and community norms in certain areas, which may
not always be welcome by long-term residents.
Rainey
street is just a microcosm of the larger gentrification issues surrounding the
growing urban landscape of Austin–and it may not serve as a good example at
all–but I think as Austin continues to expand we need to be conscious of the
existing communities that are already in place and respect people’s right to
their home cultures. Just as the book explains, there can be “good” new
neighbors and “bad” new neighbors, and the “bad” ones are the people who do not
integrate with the existing community and acknowledge that a community and
culture exist in these environments already.
