Don’t hate the player, hate the game.
“Gentrification is the process of repairing and rebuilding homes and businesses in a deteriorating area (such as an urban neighborhood) accompanied by an influx of middle-class or affluent people and that often results in the displacement of earlier, usually poorer residents.”
Merriam-Webster
Raise your hand if you would not like to live and raise your family in a nice area. Now, replace the word “nice” in that sentence with “gentrified.” Raise your hand if you would not like to live and raise your family in an established or gentrified area. Anyone who didn’t raise their hands is probably lying (or didn’t because you think no one can see you). I cannot imagine a single soul who wants to live and raise his or her family in poverty. Can you? The Catch 22 That is Gentrification.
So what is really the problem here? Let’s start with properties that are deserted and/or in extremely poor conditions. Who owns those? Who is responsible for cleaning those up? If there is an uninhabitable property in your area and nothing is done about it, that property more than likely becomes a space for squatters and drug users. When someone finally comes along to purchase the abandoned property and cleans it up, why then are we mad? I mean, if you could do it, wouldn’t you?
Why are we not mad at those who abandoned the property in the first place? Or why are we not mad at the city for not cleaning up the drug infestation we all know exists there?
I think once you begin to delve deeper into the conversation of gentrification, you realize that the problem isn’t “gentrification” alone. Sure, sometimes people come in and want to change the entire dynamic of an area. (Have you heard about the proposal from some French Quarter New Orleans residents who want the city to enlist “entertainment hours” in that area? Can you imagine that? Why move to the French Quarter in the first place? You knew what that area was all about before you bought there. Side Note: If you are interested in selling or buying in the French Quarter [or anywhere else in Metro New Orleans], I am more than happy to assist you in that transaction)!
But someone(s) NEEDS to fix these rotting and neglected houses and buildings that become “drug houses” and/or unsafe physically and environmentally. The influx of new construction and renovations also begets new businesses and amenities in the area, which by default, creates more jobs.
In the meantime, we have to address those other lingering issues. Why is the cost of living steadily increasing, but the wages remain the same?
Is it only a nicer home that’s keeping me from staying in this area, or is it that I’m making the same amount of money on my job that I was making five years ago and that’s like taking a pay cut each year?
Why is the education system so poor? What about the fact that the price of oil affects the pricing for everything else? Milk is expensive. Grocery shopping is expensive. Clothes are expensive. If you live in Orleans Parish, property taxes are higher, flood insurance can be more expensive, car insurance is more expensive, and minimum wage is still below $8/hr. Can someone please help me justify why daycare can cost over $1000/month for a two-year-old?
I’m not sure if this problem has an easy answer or fix. I do think the responsibility of ensuring that all of the “original” residents are not pushed out by newcomers is shared. More available affordable housing is necessary, but we also have to be realistic about what “affordable” is. I recently read an article written by Kaylee Poche for the New Orleans Advocate that states, “…in order to afford a “modest” two-bedroom rental in the New Orleans-Metairie area without spending more than 30 percent of income on housing costs, a person would have to make $19.38 an hour, up slightly from a housing wage of $19.15 in 2018.” Here’s the link to that article: https://www.theadvocate.com/gambit/new_orleans/news/the_latest/article_1c5d2d02-92d9-11e9-8fb2-4bb5df836864.html
Using gentrification as the scapegoat to any city’s housing problems is inaccurate. We want our neighborhoods to look better. As a property owner, we want our values to increase. We want less crime, better schools—an overall better quality of life. So how can we have all of this and the rental rates/home prices not skyrocket? How can we all “afford” to be safe and smart?