Is Gentrification Becoming a Problem in Guatemala City?
Recently, I visited Guatemala City — a capital that is often disregarded in comparison to other gems like Antigua Guatemala or Lake Atitlán. While these are truly beautiful, I think it is also worthwhile to consider to case of the capital city. Since I was not able to contact project managers of the place I will be talking about (4 Grados Norte), I will use various newspaper sources, online comments and personal impressions of myself, but also of locals I talked to in Guatemala City, as sources.
Gentrification in Guatemala City
I stayed in an AirBnB in Guatemala City, close to its centre, that consisted of a whole building owned by AirBnb. This was a first hint at the gentrification slowly taking over Guatemala City — high prices might be another one. AirBnB is apparently getting active as a real estate investor. It proudly exhibits some pictures of how the building used to look before they bought it and turned it into a space for visitors.
However, this opens up various questions:
- How do you create a sense of neighbourhood if everyone is always moving in and out?
- Does an improved building necessarily improve the neighbourhood?
- What effect does AirBnB’s intervention have on the surrounding area, and…
