OUGD505 - Design Practice 2 [SB2] - Gentrification: The Positive Aspects

In order to create a piece of work that effectively conveys the effects of gentrification, both the positive and negative aspects of gentrification have to be considered.

Gentrification has received a negative stereotype over the past decade that it destroys culture and displaces residents from their original homes. What isn't as commonly known is the positive benefits of gentrification, of which there are many.

Gentrification signals economic growth

Gentrification is often a pre-cursor for economic growth in the area. Areas are renovated, jobs are created and increased spending in the area means there is more reason to police the area. All of these elements of gentrification are extremely beneficial and create a safe, beautiful area to live in. The criticism of this, however, is that the benefits are reaped most by the demographically superior individuals, rather than the residents who have always lived in the area in a vast amount of cases, albeit not all.

Numerous sociological studies have been conducted around the idea of gentrification, and surprisingly the demographic that benefitted the most in the average case was black residents with high school diplomas. These residents contributed towards 33% of the total income gain of an area, compared to college-educated white residents contributing a 20% income gain. These numbers are interesting as it challenges the perceptions of gentrification and sparks the question: Is gentrification as bad as it is made out to be in the media?

The Property Market goes through significant growth

Residents in an area that goes through gentrification will find that the value of their property increases substantially due to the different processes listed above. This makes for a great boost to the income of your average working-class family. However, studies conducted by the Philadelphia Federal Reserve concluded that pre-gentrification families are just as likely to move as a family that hadn't gone through the process. That means gentrification can't be as disrupting to low-income families as commonly thought, with the property market probably contributing to that fact.

Gentrifiers improve public services

With more income revenue pouring into the area, councils are able to spend more on public services such as education, health and even the local environment. This in turn makes the pre-gentrification group live in a much more desirable area, and is seen as a massive positive influence on how a large percentage of lower class residents live and how they can often times become wealthier through the process itself.

In conclusion, gentrification is not as black and white as it may seem to people. It has flaws and it does displace people - but not nearly as much as you may think. This adds an interesting perspective onto my work, as I have to consider both sides of the gentrification debate before I produce my work on the subject.