let's talk gentrification
I'm a city girl, through and through. My family lived downtown when my sister and I were little, until my parents decided to head to the outskirts- where markets become malls, apartments become houses, and bikes and busses become minivans and SUVs. Having been raised in the 'burbs, I certainly appreciate many of the benefits they entail (read: space! parking! patches of earth! privacy! quiet and serenity!)... but nonetheless would argue that urban spaces are the most fun and inspiring.
For now, I am still living with my parents- but I am lucky enough to only be a twenty-minute drive from downtown, and approximately forty minutes by public transit. So, I spend the better part of my weeks in the city of Montréal which, I would biasedly argue, is one of the most fun ones in the world (New York City, Vancouver, Amsterdam, Prague, London, Barcelona and Paris are other favourites, to date). My favourite afternoons involve choosing a neighbourhood and discovering whatever coffee shops, festivals, parks, markets, museums it has to offer. And for you who are visiting Montreal- my personal favourites are the Plateau, Rosemont, the Mile End, Little Burgundy and St-Henri. Wow, that was a lot of lists.
It was in part my love for cities that urged me to register for an Urban Sociology course this semester. We have especially been studying the many effects urbanization has on society. I've loved it.
It was a matter of time before we got to the "g" word- which, when you're from any large or global city, is a topic you've certainly heard of.
Gentrification.
I spent some time in Griffintown lately- and it truly epitomizes gentrification. When I was small, my mom directed a soup kitchen in the area. Back then, in the late 90s and early 2000s, Griffintown wasn't exactly what I would call trendy. Since the early 19th century, it had been a working-class borough and cultural enclave for Irish immigrant labourers, as well as Ukrainian, Italian and French-Canadian workers in the 20th century. When my parents were younger themselves, one simply did not "spend some time" in Griffintown. Despite its vibrant spirit, "the Griff" was known for lots of social disorder and crime. The deindustrialization of Montreal, which included important changes to the Lachine Canal and other local factories in the 1950s, left Griffitown pretty much vacated. I distinctly remember walking around the area with my dad when I was little, and seeing a lot of abandoned buildings and "for rent" signs.
The revitalization of Griffintown has been an urban development project since 2012. And boy has it transformed that little corner of the universe. I was walking around the area, and later sipping a coffee at Allo Vélo, and thinking about how the city is successfully making the Griff an enjoyable, safe, family-oriented neighbourhood. There are beautiful apartment and condo complexes, parks, bicycle paths, third wave coffee shops and great restos. The juxtaposition of historical buildings and modern infrastructure is really appealing- and the cheap rent allows young professionals and their families to get a place just ten to twenty minutes from downtown.
There are obviously a lot of positives. I love that neighbourhoods are becoming safer, cleaner and more economically dynamic. The Griffintown project has allowed abandoned buildings to become stylish and trendy accoutrements of urban life, from hot-spot boutiques to cafés to bars.
But, as I've been learning in my class, gentrification is not a black and white issue. It's definitely in the grey zone.
1- Not everyone benefits
First off, new arrivals end up benefitting from revitalization at the expense of low-income residents. The latter may start off by enjoying the increased safety and cleanliness, but eventually can no longer afford prices and rent, and are displaced because of this. Moreover, new arrivals may impose a new culture on the neighbourhood- which poses an important moral dilemma when the area was originally the shared space of a marginalized or minority community, like Brooklyn was to African-Americans, Haight-Ashbury was to the hippies of San Francisco, or Versailles was to Vietnamese-Americans in pre-Katrina New Orleans. The notion of having a moral claim to space is complex, and I won't dig into it, but this nonetheless comes to mind when we think about gentrification.
Sociologist Ruth Glass writes about this filtering process in :
"One by one, many of the working class quarters of London have been invaded by the middle-classes—upper and lower. Shabby, modest mews and cottages—two rooms up and two down—have been taken over, when their leases have expired, and have become elegant, expensive residences .... Once this process of 'gentrification' starts in a district it goes on rapidly until all or most of the original working-class occupiers are displaced and the whole social character of the district is changed."
-Ruth Glass (1964)
In this sense, gentrification risks causing greater class and income segregation. It fosters resentment, as well as important racial tensions within communities. It pushes marginalized and lower-income people out of the city, leading mostly white and wealthy professionals (yuppies: young urban professionals) into it and changing the socio-cultural character of neighbourhoods. Call me an idealist, but is there not a way to simultaneously revitalize an area economically whilst equipping old family businesses and long-time residents to survive the gentrification process? I'm all for reducing the sex trade and crime, but how can this happen without entirely relocating residents and ignoring their voices in the process?
2- Global capitalism
Gentrification is often understood as demand-based. We think, "a subculture or group of young families need a space. So, they move into an area, seek to upgrade it, and make the space home." The truth? An economic explanation is often further appropriate.
Increasingly, gentrification is driven not by consumers, but by investors in search of profit. They compare the actual and potential profits an area yields- and if this margin is large, they thoroughly upgrade the area so capital can be generated. This isn't about creating a culturally thriving shared urban space- this is a strategic investment which economic elites, investors, real estate brokers and the state benefit from. As cities in the Global North become service-economies, deteriorating urban spaces become targets for surplus capital in the global capitalist system. But, as we discussed, the benefits of this investment are not equally distributed on the local level.
Of course it is profitable for society's power brokers to invest in urban centers. But at what cost? Holistic change in neighbourhoods demands a further bottom-up approach to urban revitilization.
I digress.
3- Toward integrative revitalization
My goal here isn't to say gentrification is unequivocally bad. But how can we do it with community-building and holistic change in mind?
The reality of gentrified neighbourhoods is that yuppie tenants generally don't invest in the public sector of the community. They are attracted to, among other things, the cheap rent and foodie culture- but their wealth won't trickle down to the local schools, sports leagues, public transit or community centres and activities. Deeming these services as unfit and not polished enough for their families, they turn to the private sector downtown for schooling and leisure. So while the new boutiques, bars and coffee shops thrive, the public schools are not improving and community services remain stagnant- which largely affects the lower-income residents who can't afford the trendy benefits of gentrification as rents are driven up.
By encouraging residents to invest in the public sector, we might circumvent this filtering process wherein struggling business owners and lower-income families are pushed to the periphery of cities. Tax money can be better distributed in the neighbourhood's infrastructure, law enforcement and other citizen services.
Integrative revitalization means everyone benefits from gentrification- not just the wealthy or powerful. More conversation needs to be had about a gentrification process which does not perpetuate underfunded community services. This might just be the gateway to more sustainable change in urban spaces.
For now, I am still living with my parents- but I am lucky enough to only be a twenty-minute drive from downtown, and approximately forty minutes by public transit. So, I spend the better part of my weeks in the city of Montréal which, I would biasedly argue, is one of the most fun ones in the world (New York City, Vancouver, Amsterdam, Prague, London, Barcelona and Paris are other favourites, to date). My favourite afternoons involve choosing a neighbourhood and discovering whatever coffee shops, festivals, parks, markets, museums it has to offer. And for you who are visiting Montreal- my personal favourites are the Plateau, Rosemont, the Mile End, Little Burgundy and St-Henri. Wow, that was a lot of lists.
It was in part my love for cities that urged me to register for an Urban Sociology course this semester. We have especially been studying the many effects urbanization has on society. I've loved it.
It was a matter of time before we got to the "g" word- which, when you're from any large or global city, is a topic you've certainly heard of.
Gentrification.
 |
| A friend and I in "Le Plateau du Mont-Royal"- photo by Danae Marie Photography |
The revitalization of Griffintown has been an urban development project since 2012. And boy has it transformed that little corner of the universe. I was walking around the area, and later sipping a coffee at Allo Vélo, and thinking about how the city is successfully making the Griff an enjoyable, safe, family-oriented neighbourhood. There are beautiful apartment and condo complexes, parks, bicycle paths, third wave coffee shops and great restos. The juxtaposition of historical buildings and modern infrastructure is really appealing- and the cheap rent allows young professionals and their families to get a place just ten to twenty minutes from downtown.
There are obviously a lot of positives. I love that neighbourhoods are becoming safer, cleaner and more economically dynamic. The Griffintown project has allowed abandoned buildings to become stylish and trendy accoutrements of urban life, from hot-spot boutiques to cafés to bars.
But, as I've been learning in my class, gentrification is not a black and white issue. It's definitely in the grey zone.
 |
| Rosemont, a favourite neighbourhood of Montreal with increasing gentrification |
1- Not everyone benefits
First off, new arrivals end up benefitting from revitalization at the expense of low-income residents. The latter may start off by enjoying the increased safety and cleanliness, but eventually can no longer afford prices and rent, and are displaced because of this. Moreover, new arrivals may impose a new culture on the neighbourhood- which poses an important moral dilemma when the area was originally the shared space of a marginalized or minority community, like Brooklyn was to African-Americans, Haight-Ashbury was to the hippies of San Francisco, or Versailles was to Vietnamese-Americans in pre-Katrina New Orleans. The notion of having a moral claim to space is complex, and I won't dig into it, but this nonetheless comes to mind when we think about gentrification.
Sociologist Ruth Glass writes about this filtering process in :
"One by one, many of the working class quarters of London have been invaded by the middle-classes—upper and lower. Shabby, modest mews and cottages—two rooms up and two down—have been taken over, when their leases have expired, and have become elegant, expensive residences .... Once this process of 'gentrification' starts in a district it goes on rapidly until all or most of the original working-class occupiers are displaced and the whole social character of the district is changed."
-Ruth Glass (1964)
In this sense, gentrification risks causing greater class and income segregation. It fosters resentment, as well as important racial tensions within communities. It pushes marginalized and lower-income people out of the city, leading mostly white and wealthy professionals (yuppies: young urban professionals) into it and changing the socio-cultural character of neighbourhoods. Call me an idealist, but is there not a way to simultaneously revitalize an area economically whilst equipping old family businesses and long-time residents to survive the gentrification process? I'm all for reducing the sex trade and crime, but how can this happen without entirely relocating residents and ignoring their voices in the process?
2- Global capitalism
Gentrification is often understood as demand-based. We think, "a subculture or group of young families need a space. So, they move into an area, seek to upgrade it, and make the space home." The truth? An economic explanation is often further appropriate.
Increasingly, gentrification is driven not by consumers, but by investors in search of profit. They compare the actual and potential profits an area yields- and if this margin is large, they thoroughly upgrade the area so capital can be generated. This isn't about creating a culturally thriving shared urban space- this is a strategic investment which economic elites, investors, real estate brokers and the state benefit from. As cities in the Global North become service-economies, deteriorating urban spaces become targets for surplus capital in the global capitalist system. But, as we discussed, the benefits of this investment are not equally distributed on the local level.
Of course it is profitable for society's power brokers to invest in urban centers. But at what cost? Holistic change in neighbourhoods demands a further bottom-up approach to urban revitilization.
I digress.
 |
| My favourite coffee shop in St-Henri, installed in an abandoned church building! |
My goal here isn't to say gentrification is unequivocally bad. But how can we do it with community-building and holistic change in mind?
The reality of gentrified neighbourhoods is that yuppie tenants generally don't invest in the public sector of the community. They are attracted to, among other things, the cheap rent and foodie culture- but their wealth won't trickle down to the local schools, sports leagues, public transit or community centres and activities. Deeming these services as unfit and not polished enough for their families, they turn to the private sector downtown for schooling and leisure. So while the new boutiques, bars and coffee shops thrive, the public schools are not improving and community services remain stagnant- which largely affects the lower-income residents who can't afford the trendy benefits of gentrification as rents are driven up.
By encouraging residents to invest in the public sector, we might circumvent this filtering process wherein struggling business owners and lower-income families are pushed to the periphery of cities. Tax money can be better distributed in the neighbourhood's infrastructure, law enforcement and other citizen services.
Integrative revitalization means everyone benefits from gentrification- not just the wealthy or powerful. More conversation needs to be had about a gentrification process which does not perpetuate underfunded community services. This might just be the gateway to more sustainable change in urban spaces.
 |
| Another sight of gentrified Montreal. |
Comments