Gentrification: For Whom the Bell Tolls
In the 1980s, when I lived in New York City, the midtown west side was a seedy place where only the brave or foolish ventured late at night. It was the kind of place where one would never want to “defund the police,” assuming one even sees any police officers around. And had they been around, you bet they’d be in groups or at least pairs. See, the police knew better.
Fast forward a few decades, and Midtown West is all glamour and stuff. Millions meander into the night without real fear or sense of what it was like not long ago. Now, many can march under the banner of defunding the police. How brave we have become. Right.
Much of this is due to what we call gentrification. But it always leaves me wondering: where did the people go? What happened to all those who were pushed out? They have to be somewhere, no? It’s not like they suddenly got a million-dollar windfall and lived in comfort overnight. So what gives?
I drove by a neighborhood in Washington, DC, today. It was once a terrifying area, with dudes just hanging around in corners and trash all over the sidewalks, where houses mainly were boarded up, and where people with addiction roamed the streets. Today, it is middle and upper-middle-class residences. Nicely decked-out townhomes dot the street. Gone has an addiction. The sidewalks are clean. Even trees, though still young, promise to become large and leafy. It is a much more pleasant area for people to live in and for kids to grow up in. But what of those who were once here? What become of them?
For all the good it does for those who can afford it, gentrification boils down to societal window-dressing. As the higher-income folks move in and nicer homes are put up, the neighborhood looks spruced up (pardon the pun) and welcoming, but only welcoming for those with means. Gone are the days when there was no single grocery store within a two-mile, two-mile radius. Now, we have organic food stores and pet supplies shops just around the corner. Want a vegan option at dinner? No problem. We have two to choose from. Gluten-free? Now you’re talking.
Despite this window dressing, society hasn’t gotten wealthier. The gap between the rich and poor widens each year. In the US, the GINI index (the universally recognized measure of the income gap) is higher than that of China and far higher than any other G7 nation. The US government’s Housing and Urban Development Department estimates that more than 650,000 Americans lived in shelters or tent encampments in 2023. The growing instance of gentrification means that the impoverished now have fewer places to go. It simply means that those who have sufficient access to money can have more places to choose to live at the expense of those who are poor. So not only are there more poor people but they are also confined to fewer places. And thus grows an illusion that all is well in the world. We are living in the city on the hill.
But this is no more than a mirage. And it’s not only in the US. Look around you, Dear Reader, wherever you may be, and notice the invisible poor. Do you see any gentrification efforts in your society? For gentrification to be meaningful, it needs to be accompanied by societal restructuring to eliminate disenchantment, improve the lives of everyone, and give everyone a decent quality of life. They are our fellow dwellers on this planet we call Earth. They are our fellow Americans, Brits, Brazilians, Chinese, Pakistanis, and whatever nationality is relevant to you. Governments need to do more than gentrify. They owe it to their citizens to ensure everyone flourishes. And especially in so-called wealthy countries, shame on us for not taking care of our disadvantaged. Shame on us for preferring window dressing over tangible improvements for all. And shame on us for not voting out or voting in politicians who don’t care. Shame if we choose to be blind. The bell tolls for all of us.
