Examining the Complex Debate on Gentrification in Major U.S. Cities

Name: Institutional Affiliations: Date: Gentrification Essay Topic Question: What is gentrification? Why is it such a complex and hotly debated topic from Berlin, London, New York to East Los Angeles? Lees in her video offers some solutions. Why it is so hotly debated and how can we stop it? However, many believe gentrification is a positive development in communities. According to the advocates of gentrification it can lead to improved economic development, lower crime rate, and an increase in property values, which benefits existing homeowners. Do you agree or disagree? What is your assessment of gentrification? Lees begins her lecture with a quote from Spike Lee who is a critic of gentrification. Defining it from a positive perspective, one can describe gentrification as the arrival of a wealthier population in an existing urban district. However, arguing from a negative perspective, gentrification refers to the displacement of poor community/low-income earners by rich outsiders (Zuk et al., 2018). It is no secret that gentrification proves a controversial issue that stirs hot debates within America. Based on its simplest definition, one can note that regardless of the economic benefits that the rich outsiders may bring to the existing districts, the former residents get exposed to a discomfort threat making their initial residence unfit for their continued habitation. Convenience, diversity, availability of cheap housing and vitality of the urban neighborhood serve as the major draws that attract gentrification within such areas. Old abandoned houses or neglected industrial buildings tend to attract financially able people aiming for fixer-uppers as investment opportunities (Freeman and Braconi, 2004). Such qualities define the desirability and ripeness of such neighborhoods in the eyes of wealthy investors. Though the discovery of such a neighborhood starts with a few individuals, the news of such opportunities spread amongst the rich, and with no time, the neighborhood becomes fully occupied by newcomers taking control of its development in a great manner. Unfortunately, ever since time immemorial, the whites and the people of color within America have become differentiated by their economic status. For this reason, the "rich outsiders" taking over the districts occupied by the "poor" tends to benefit the Whites as compared to the former occupants being the people of color. It is through such facts that gentrification tends to become associated with ne