My Brooklyn
Gentrification is one of the important issues discussed in the movie ‘My Brooklyn’. The movie describes how gentrification is reshaping the social, cultural and economic status of the neighborhood. Although gentrification has benefits such as employment and reduced crime rate, this is not enough to permit displacement of people who cannot afford only low income and middle class housing .This paper will explain the major issues that arise from the documentary, ‘My Brooklyn’.
Gentrification may contain some great benefits but based on the information from the film it is a bad thing. First and for most, the change caused by gentrification has made small business owners to lose their businesses. Small business owners were displaced from the Fulton mall as the lease increased which they could barely afford .Secondly, the demolitions which were made to give room for the new improvement displaced the old residents. Gentrification snatched away the attachment and closeness that was created by these small business people. The city officials and the developers claim that change is good yet they replace neighborhoods that were built by black ‘brooklynites’ and whose way of life has influenced and shaped the rest of America. Thus, they ignore the needs of the less privileged by tearing down existing black neighborhoods and replacing them with new urban areas which mostly consist of whites as if to imply it is only through gentrification that development can come to existence. Therefore, gentrification shapes the neighborhood in terms of class and race. It also erases the race diversity, social, cultural and the original urban fabric of the society (Brooklyn, 2017).
Rebuilding old urban areas into wealthy suburbs that can only be afforded by the rich and not the low and middle income earners, does not completely solve the problem that it was supposed to be solve in the first place, which is provide proper housing. Colored communities are more likely to be displaced as the new urban buildings attract new specialties, high skilled labor, and large enterprises hence their value rise quickly attracting property buyers and tenants who can afford their value. Typically, the less one earns the more vulnerable they are to be displaced from their areas by the wealthy, who are financially stable. Therefore, if the change brought out by gentrification results to high cost of rent and an environment that cannot harbor cheap expenditure, old residents are forced to vacate .The poor and financial unstable are losers when it comes to gentrification as they struggle with financial instability and are more vulnerable to change. Single parents, the elderly and the disabled are other vulnerable groups. Gentrification normally increase the property rates of abandoned neighborhoods which harbor crime gangs. They are renovated and occupied hence reducing the crime rate which goes to benefit both the new occupants and the old ones. The new developments can also benefit the previous residents through employment opportunities which open up due to an increase in new businesses (Brooklyn, 2017).
Gentrification should not destroy previously existing social and cultural norms and should work on maintaining them. Gentrification should find a way of making different social background mix rather than widening the gap. This can be done by ensuring that their renovation has room for low income earners as well the new residents. Gentrification should also aim at maintaining low middle class and not replacing them with a high middle class who latter are replaced by upper middle class. Gentrification should aim at bringing a balance to the society .The main consequence of gentrification is that it leads to the displacement of middle upper class leaving a large number of people with no place to go. Gentrification should therefore strike a balance between different social and economic classes and make them co-exist together. Tearing down the social network and diversity of the neighborhood should not be caused by gentrification but gentrification should serve as bridge between different societies. People of color are likely to be looked down upon ad criminalized by the new occupants who see them as a threat to their safety. Latinos and blacks are more likely to be arrested compared to their white counter parts who are caught doing the same crime. This brings about racial discrimination and hatred thus dividing the community (Brooklyn, 2017).
One of the main ways gentrification can be mitigated or prevented altogether is by building enough middle income housing enough to prevent the displacement of people. The low income housing should also be considered and built but not in large numbers than middle income housing. Reducing property tax can help in maintain long term home owners of Brooklyn. Lastly home owners who are able to sell their houses can be encouraged so as to give property developers a chance to renovate the vacated areas. Mix income development projects should be planned and encouraged. Mixed income development will see it through that everyone coexists in the neighborhood. Developers should give priority to long term home owners at risk of losing their housing due to gentrification. This will enable them to stabilize and avoid displacement from their communities. Changing the rules to favor colored communities which are at risk of displacement will favor the communities to receive more federal resources from the local government (Freudenheim, 2016)
REFERENCES
Brooklyn, M. (2017). The Film » My Brooklyn - a documentary film by Kelly Anderson and Allison Irish Dean « My Brooklyn - a documentary film by Kelly Anderson and Allison Irish Dean. [Online] My Brooklyn – a documentary film by Kelly Anderson and Allison Irish Dean. Available at: http://www.mybrooklynmovie.com/
Freudenheim, E. (2016). The Brooklyn experience: The ultimate guide to neighborhoods & noshes, culture & the cutting edge.
