The Status of Austin Gentrification
Austin has recently become an economic powerhouse with the rise of many companies starting in the city. However, as we are seeing a lower poverty rate and higher income per capita, is it really the case? Is gentrification helping the lower class or harming them even further?
A recent study from UT researchers shows that the city of Austin is the fastest growing metropolitan area in the United States. Although this may sound amazing for a well needed economic boom, it is hindering the lower class. We are noticing many lower-income neighborhoods becoming displaced to make space for a more middle-class taste. This, in theory, lowers the poverty rate and increases many things to areas such as access to healthcare and access to supermarkets, but the lower class isn’t the population experiencing this growth. The lower class is becoming more susceptible to displacement as property values are raised (Mendez ). The individuals are being pushed out into the rural areas where there is, on average, a lower income rate, a lower access to necessities such as hospitals and supermarkets, but also a lower property value. The lower class that moves out of the city will no doubt struggle more out of the city than they did in the city. People move into cities to live their dreams and aspirations; poor people move in to make money while rich people move in to make more money. We see this time and time again in every city. Take the city of New York for example. There is a very wealthy area surrounded by pockets of lower income neighborhoods. These neighborhoods are usually separated from the wealthier areas with natural or manmade borders. Interstate 35 separates Riverside from Westlake much like how the San Francisco Bay separates San Francisco from Oakland. Oakland is also facing struggles, as more middle-income individuals are moving into the city which raises property value and ultimately kicks the lower-class out of the city.
A Los Angeles based investment firm recently bought land in the East Riverside area of Austin, which notoriously known for its high concentration of lower-income families (Egen). They’re aiming to create a large shopping complex, much like The Domain in North Austin. The company is dubbing this project as “the next Downtown”. They are making changing the ideas of Riverside on social media, and appealing to the masses by claiming that this project will give rise to a new future of Riverside. Although this sounds like a great opportunity for jobs and living spaces as they’re trying to make the area have a larger population density, it will only be an area with upper-middle class individuals who will be able to afford these apartments. I myself live in the East Riverside area, and I prefer to live here because it’s cheaper and more affordable than the West Campus area. Although I am not a student struggling to find cheap housing as a necessity, it is less of a burden to my family and I compared to living in West Campus. Many students that live here are from lower-income families and although scholarships may cover a lot, sometimes, students do not have enough for rent and food.
The area of Waller Creek will notice large changes in the next few years. Historically, Waller Creek was known for flash flooding causing mass deaths and high crime rates in the area. The future vision of Waller Creek represents a stepping stone for the city of Austin, as they implement nature with man made infrastructure. The restoration project will give rise to many new shops, trails, and creekside properties. In my opinion, this project seems like one that is very well planned out and will help almost everyone in the community from different backgrounds. However, as these areas are being built, we then again see a steep rise in local property values, as more and more people start to move in and see how beautiful the surrounding Waller Creek area will be (wallercreek.org). For example, a mature tree can increase one single property value by $1,000-$10,000. Taking into account the hundreds and thousands of trees and plants the company is planning to plant in Waller Creek, the area will become almost as expensive Midtown Manhattan. A few years ago, we saw this in NYC, where West Manhattan was a lesser-income neighborhood at first, until the High Line was implemented. The High Line was an old abandoned railway track overlooking the roads of West Manhattan that was transformed into a park set 20 feet in the air with walkways all around. Currently, it is now the most visited attraction in West Manhattan, and also gave lots more revenue to the local Chelsea Market, located right by the High Line. Sadly, we once again see lower-income individuals being forced to move out due to rising rent costs. These people are displaced and put into even worse conditions again and again. Now we may ask, how do we advance as a city, while also giving every individual proper equity?
A few years back, the city of Seattle implemented an affordable housing coalition which gave rise to many similar, but unique styles of living. Although the city council recently lifted a ban on the rise of rent prices, Seattle is still seeing a steady amount of lower-income individuals thriving in the city (seattle.gov). John Kotin, an author and scholar, had the idea of uplifting building codes and renewing old buildings, rather than demolishing them and creating new ones. This idea helps ease the weight of the rise of property value, as only the inside of areas are changed. This allows many lower-income individuals to still be able to afford living in nice, urbanized areas, without the high rent price (Sisson) From the point of view of the city of Austin, we are mixing lower income areas with higher income, which doesn’t seem to be the answer. The Lamborghini Austin dealership is in the same strip mall as a veterinary center. Although this gives the city a unique, weird cityscape, it is not something that is sustainable for the lower-class. Making more houses will not give more people places to live, much like how making more malls will not make more people shop. Cities are adapting, and we are needing to find a way to help the lower-class stay in these cities, not because we need to “give back”, but because every individual has the right to live their dreams and aspirations.
I personally believe the split between rich and poor areas of cities is detrimentally important, and although health risks are greater in lower-income neighborhoods, it is solely because we are giving more resources to the wealthy. Affordable zip codes shouldn’t be known for higher cancer rates, higher diabetes rates, greater cancer susceptibility, or anything with a negative connotation compared to richer zip codes. We are seeing these trends, because we are influencing these trends. Lower-income neighborhoods should be known for the vast amount of creativity and their great desire for the “American Dream”.
Works Cited
Affordable Housing. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://council.seattle.gov/tag/affordable-housing/
Egan, J. (2018, March 21). New Domain-style development on East Riverside could be Austin’s next downtown. Retrieved from http://austin.culturemap.com/news/real-estate/03-21-18-domain-style-project-catalyst-southeast-austin-east-riverside-pleasant-valley-nimes-capital/
Mendez, M. (2018, September 18). UT researchers to present map charting Austin’s changing neighborhoods. Retrieved from https://www.mystatesman.com/news/local/researchers-present-map-charting-austin-changing-neighborhoods/KrDP1RKbpf9euJt3wDsMzN/
Sisson, P. (2017, July 25). How cities are getting creative about affordable housing. Retrieved from https://www.curbed.com/2017/7/25/16020648/affordable-housing-apartment-urban-development
Waller Creek Park. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.wallercreek.org/vision/
