What is gentrification? What makes it so bad for our local communities? Why should we even care? Gentrification is the transformation of a neighborhood from low value to high value. Or depending on who you ask, it means that a bunch of hipsters have moved in nearby. Although Gentrification is everywhere, today I would like to focus on Brooklyn, specifically Bushwick. Bushwick is a mostly Latino community and gentrification can cause the loss of the people, as well as their culture.
One main problem with gentrification in Bushwick is the higher cost of living. This higher cost of living is forcing people out of their homes and causing people to relocate. The article by “Next City” states “When there’s a new building, it wouldn’t be there if people weren’t displaced out of their homes first”. This means that most people see new houses but don’t think about the people who were forced out to build them. The article also states “Landlords make homes uninhabitable. Then they rebuild and refurbish the homes”. This shows that landlords also play a part in the rise in rent. Landlords make more money by allowing newer tenants to rent a room as opposed to a family that has kept their rent low for generations. This problem is huge as this causes an overall rent increase when lots of families cannot afford the price.
Another huge problem with gentrification in Bushwick is the loss of culture. Since people are being kicked out lots of that culture that these people brought go with them. An article written by “UAB” states “Primarily, Dominican and Puerto Rican with lots of street life”. This shows how Bushwick is filled with mostly Latino people who make its streets rich with its music and culture. The article also states “Playing music on the street, not afraid to offend someone. Super friendly neighborhood”. This shows that Bushwick has so much life to it that sadly would be lost due to the increase of families being forced out. If these families keep being forced out by other tenants or landlords then much of Bushwick’s culture will be lost with it.
Someone may argue that gentrification could be a positive as some houses are being remodeled, however, this remodeling causes the loss of Bushwick’s history. Its stated by the article from “Kiddle”, “Bushwick homes were designed in the Italianate, Neo Gretco, Romanesque Revival, and Queen Anne styles by well-known architects”. This shows that many of Bushwick’s houses have lots of history and contain not just Latino history but Italian and Dutch as well. The article states “There were 2,339 evictions in 2018, according to the City Council’s evictions database”. This shows how many families were evicted and their houses were torn down to make space for new houses for younger tenants. The importance of these houses may not seem like much to new tenants but they mean a great deal to multigenerational families that have owned their houses for years and keep their historic value safe.
Overall, gentrification in Bushwick has many bad effects on the neighborhood and the ones listed above are just some of the more major problems. Gentrification in Bushwick or all neighborhoods for that matter should not be allowed as it causes the destruction of not just families’ homes but their culture and the history they have preserved in their homes as well. We must care about gentrification’s impact on not just Bushwick but all of our local communities. While some may argue that it brings positives like new houses. It all comes at a price and the price of diversity and culture is much too great for the outcome of higher rent and bland houses.
