What is gentrification and why has it become such an important issue?

The paper requires an introduction, stating what the paper is about and a roadmap/outline of the basic structure/main points of the paper. What is gentrification and why has it become such an important issue? The authors give various definitions. The students are most likely to use Shaw’s (2008, 2) “a generalized middle-class restructuring of place, encompassing the entire transformation from low-status neighborhoods to upper middle class playgrounds”. They should also note that while some distinguish b/w gentrification and ‘new build’ redevelopment, Shaw (10) thinks the latter needs to be included in an overall definition as it also can happen in inner city areas etc. Furthermore as both Shaw and Gaffney stress it is strongly linked to both state and powerful private (financial and property capital) actors –it is not simply shaped by individual decisions Why gentrification has become so important is linked to important is linked to three main factors. (i) The increasing emphasis on property-led development in cities –especially the urban core which had suffered disinvestment in the 1950s-70s. (ii) The issue of gentrification linked displacement in the city and its implications for the race and class composition of the inner city and (3) the socio-cultural implications of middle/upper class gentrification and its overall impact on the urban form –especially in gentrifying neighborhoods. All of these reasons are found in the required reading but mostly Shaw. What explanations of gentrification have been offered? Why is geography important to this phenomena? Shaw (2008, 18-23) outlines four different explanations for gentrification (i) urban ecology (ii) cultural choice (iii) Marxist theories e.g. Smith (1996) of the ‘rent gap’ and the link to circuits of capital (iv) post-modern/post-industrial cultural approaches such as those offered by Ley (1980) linked to the emergence of new middle class. Of the four Shaw views the last two as the most important and overlapping in certain ways. More specific causes include inadequate housing supply, global capital investment, bifurcation of the labor market, and a shrinking middle class in strong-market cities (Hutson, 2018).Also Hutson note that environmental sustainability improvements including the creation of compact, mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented communities located around public transit stations can also lead indirectly to gentrification. Geography is important because gentrification is both shaped by and reshapes the spatial form of the city in terms of patterns of investment and the social composition of its residents (this is pretty clear in Shaw and Gaffney). It is thus a critical part of the geographic remaking of city neighborhoods in terms of both regeneration and decline. Under what circumstances does gentrification lead to displacement and why is it so controversial? What can be done to mitigate it? Gentrification can lead to displacement of previous neighborhood inhabitants e.g by rent increases or having housing stock being converted to owner occupation from rental (Florida/Shaw) or simply having stock demolished and being replaced by more expensive housing etc. However, studies give different estimates of how much displacement occurs and in some cases disadvantaged households were less likely to move from gentrifying neighborhoods. In other cases, displacement along racial lines was more significant, – for example, African America households with less than high school education (Florida, 2016; Capps, 2019). Some studies find that remaining low income populations can benefit from the investment linked to gentrification (Shaw, 2008; Capps, 2019), but the greatest negative impact falls on lower income groups—especially if they are renters and not home owners (Shaw/Florida). Also note ‘cultural clashes’ b/w new and older residents in New Orleans and Washington and overall socio-psychological costs of change (Capps, 2019). But most negative impacts are in rapidly gentrify ‘knowledge hubs’ ‘superstar cities’ like San Francisco and Bay area (Florida, 2016; Hutson, 2018). Another significant problem is a lack of investment in most non-gentrifying city areas. What can done? Shaw (2008) 26-27 discusses European policies to provide lower-cost living space, especially by local governments—increase local control of regeneration process –social housing provision –notes that timing is also critical especially periods before the ‘rent gap’ closure is the best for having positive interventions. Also the mobilization of community groups to pressure local governments and developers to provide for more low cost housing including via community benefit agreements (CBAs) is also important (Hutson, 2018). Florida (2016) notes that another problem is that investment is too ‘spiky’ and over concentrated in some areas and not in others –there is a need to have policies that even it out more. How is gentrification different in Global South cities such as Rio di Janeiro from cities in the United States and the Global North? Gaffney’s (2016) paper on Rio is the best on this although Shaw (2008) does make some reference to Global South gentrification. Gaffney stresses several differences including: (i) that it is not necessary to have middle class ‘gentries’ leading the early stages of gentrification e.g especially when linked to large scale investment such as Edificio Hilton Santos; (ii) in Rio’s case gentrification is often linked to forced removals etc of existing inhabitants –especially by state (iii) there is often significant community resistance by ‘self-help’ bottom- up community groups and (iv) gentrification more linked to sporting mega-projects such as the Olympics etc. Conclusions –need to be there. This should not be just a review of the main points made above, but should as the final section of the assignment asks, reflect about the contested and differentiated nature of gentrification. If they are especially profound you can give them a bonus of 2-3 points, but if they have no conclusions, they should lose 2-3 points of their final grade. Overall style issues –the paper cannot be a rant, nor an op-ed, –take off 2-3 marks or more if this is really a big problem in the paper. Mechanics (out of 20) reduce grades for egregious spelling, grammar mistakes etc. Also they must cite in the text all of the required readings. For every article/source they do not use deduct 2-3 points from the final grade In this assignment, you must use a formal essay style, which means you must have an introduction with a statement of purpose and a set of conclusions. You must also properly cite all referenced material. Paper length: 1500 words An A paper will: Be written in a formal essay style. Have an introduction outlining the main points of the essay. Address succinctly and insightfully the four essay questions. Cite in both the text and bibliography all the required readings for the assignment. Be free of major spelling and grammatical errors. Have a conclusion. To assist you as you write Essay Three please read three of the key articles below and answer the following essay question: Under what circumstances does gentrification lead to displacement and why is it so controversial? What can be done to mitigate it? Hint : Write in your own words, use no more than 4-5 sentences for each article, compare and contrast the views of the different authors. Florida R (2015) “This is what happens after a neighborhood gets gentrified” The Atlantic 16 September https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/09/this-is-what-happens-after-a-neighborhood-gets-gentrified/432813/ pp. 1-6 Hutson, M (2018) “’We live here too’: Incorporating residents’ voices in mitigating the negative impacts of gentrification” in C. Herbert, Spader, J Molinsky, J, Reiger, S Molinsky, J Rieger, S (eds) in A Shared Future: Fostering Communities of Inclusion in an Era of Inequality, Joint Center for Housing Studies, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, pp. 340-352 Kapps, K. (2019) “The Hidden Winners in Neighborhood Gentrification” CITYLAB https://www.citylab.com/equity/2019/07/gentrification-effects-neighborhood-data-economic-statistics/594064/pp. 1-7