I've written on this topic before, and it is a tough one. I think the projects we're talking about most do not have a dislocation problem, so the main downside to gentrification is not there. Still, I think some perspective is needed.
Traditionally, cities had rich and poor living relatively close to each other. Certainly, there were rich 'hoods like Summit Avenue, but just one block off of them would be the apartments on Grand and the less wealthy Portland. And there were carriage houses where the wait staff might live with their whole families. What changed all that was transportation -- specifically, the technology that got us out of the horse and buggy era. Trolleys came first, and later cars, but the real point was that the rich felt they could segregate themselves when moving long distances every day was reasonable. I think this approach to life, and the subsequent adoption of zoning laws that literally restrict what class can live where, were the begining of the end for cities. There is little doubt in my mind that a city has to operate as a single entity, like a very extended family, to be successful. Once people no longer saw the effects of city structure and policy on a group that was not like "them", this coherent whole started to fall apart. Separating by race and class has always happened to some extent, but I still hold that a healthy city has had a significant component of mixing between them. Now, what's that got to do with gentrification? Gentrification is a good thing to the extent that it encourages diversity of a neighborhood. If there are nothing but the poor around, a few wealthier people are good for you. If it's nothing but Hmong, having some blacks or latinos or anglos move in makes everyone at least a little more aware of each other. The East Side, frankly, could use this kind of gentrification, IMHO. It's not like the rich are taking over to any degree. Someday, this could easily go to far and I'd feel different. But not now. I think this sort of thing is good for the city. Erik Hare [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://tcfreenet.org/people/hare Irvine Park, West End, Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA, North America, Earth Fine Amish furniture, cedar chests, and crafts http://www.harmonycedar.com _____________________________________________ NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul _______________________________________________ Archive Address: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/ http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ _______________________________________________ For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract
