“Gentrification” is the state of rejuvenation of old decrepit neighborhoods by developers or venture-capitalists who buy properties for a song, tear down dwellings and rebuild upscale communities to attract affluent buyers. Those demographic areas are by and large inhabited with the less educated blue collar and the poor.
This trend is sometimes achieved with a different approach; developers clean up an old commercial street or boulevard, typically surrounded by people of meager means, and refresh the aesthetics to invite anchor commerce (Office Depot, Supermarket, Circuit City, Drug Store, convenience-retail gas stations, etc) along with trendy local merchants and restaurateurs. This consequently increases the value of the neighborhood which soon becomes appealing to opportunist entrepreneurs. Generous offer are presented to the encircled residents who ultimately succumb to the cool chunks of easy money.
The trickled-down method of money making will then be applied by the poor people. Because they are poor, they are not stupid. They also understand their limited economics, henceforth, for them to keep some of that new wealth they need to move way out to the perimeter of town to buy humble abodes or, sometimes, go beyond town and start to colonize congenial environs. However, some, but few, take advantage of that generous opportunity to move up to a better area.
Although the word “gentrification” has only been introduced in the English vocabulary recently, that practice of restructuring and revitalizing squalor areas is as old as civilization.
This phenomenon, however, has a negative side effect to both parties. Wealthy people depend on “employees” to perform what is considered demeaning tasks whereas the hand needs revenue from the rich to survive.
In Southeast Florida we are presently facing this crisis. There has been a remarkable growth of affluent people moving down in the past thirty years. With the help of gentrification process, the developers have forced the lower class to move to the outskirt of cities and counties. Now that we have lost so many laborers to beyond the burbs, with the high price of gasoline and a poor transit system, the workers can’t afford to work in town or by the beach areas anymore.
Our beloved local politicians are getting ready for re-election and they are all proponents to offer affordable housing for the working force in the wealthy neighborhoods. But, money is one of the most powerful weapons around and the rich continue to prevent that from happening. Prosperous people always show empathy for the poor but, realistically, they certainly don’t want them to live in their neighborhoods. In fact, the rich probably anticipate the day when Star-Trek’s transporter gizmo becomes reality. How convenient will that be? Beam the workers over for the day and port them back to the middle of the state when the day’s work is completed.
The filthy rich are the exception, though, for they usually provide living quarters for their help (that in itself as an eccentric convenience that braggadociously sets them above other wealthy people).
Wasn’t that Mae West who once said: “I’ve been rich and I’ve been poor. Rich is much better.”