“Comeback Neighborhoods”

Published by: Jena Nardella
March 11, 2010

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Two years ago, my husband and I moved into a neighborhood of Nashville that is rapidly gentrifying. In fact, we were a part of the movement that was coming in to buy renovated homes that used to be crack houses on streets that were infamous for prostitution and drug dealing. Most people I know would say this is a good thing. Southern Living Magazine calls my neighborhood one of the South’s “Best Comeback Neighborhoods.” New bars and restaurants are showing up in place of dilapidated buildings. Historic theaters are being restored. There is celebration about the revitalization of this community.
But as more young professionals and fancy restaurants are coming in, I can’t help but notice those who are moving out.

The first time I ever heard the word, gentrification, was from a black man on the south side of Chicago who was giving me a tour of his neighborhood and speaking about all of the changes that have happened since more affluent people had shown up where he was living. The rise in property values and property taxes of his neighborhood forced most of his neighbors to eventually move out to a cheaper community while outsiders continued to swarm in. Gentrification to Southern Living Magazine is a cause for a celebration. Gentrification to my friend in Chicago is a very bad word.

I don’t quite yet know how I feel about the choice my husband and I made in living in our neighborhood. We are uncomfortably aware of what is changing even in our two years of living here. We are committed to participating in the community, and not just that of where the young professionals are hanging out. My husband and I are members of our Neighborhood Association which is led by a handful of 60-something-year-old African Americans who have been a part of the neighborhood for most of their lives. Our next door neighbor, Mr. Robinson, has lived on our street for 40 years and is one of the main leaders of the Association. On average, about 15-20 neighbors come together on the second Tuesday of the month for a meeting to hear a report from the police, a representative from the mayor’s office and to discuss any particular neighborhood issues. Afterward, we share a community meal together which is usually a bean chili or Little Caesar’s Pizza.

This week’s meeting was noticeably mixed in representation and certainly in views and ideas of how the group should be run and what its primary issues should be. There were moments that were uncomfortable with unspoken disagreement and I can’t help but wonder how that divide may continue to grow. And yet there were other moments that exposed a strong sense of community simply because we are uniting under a deep love and care for a shared place that every one of us calls home. I simply hope that this will remain true.

http://smorgasblurb.wordpress.com Chris Horst

Indeed, this is a tough challenge. I was right in the midst of a very similar transition in an urban community in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I have a good friend who works in public housing in Denver, Colorado. We had a discussion about this issue and she had some great thoughts, which I’ll summarize:

On a macro level, gentrification is almost always good for the community. Derelict properties are renewed. Unsafe streets become safer. The city tax base increases, enabling better government services, more money for schools, and an increased police presence. Even in regards to public housing strategies, it has been proven that it is better if low-income families do not live all in one neighborhood. Having “mixed-income” neighborhoods benefits the wealthy and the poor alike.

On a micro level, however, gentrification is almost always bad. It means that families are pushed out of their homes, communities ethnic heritage often shifts, and individuals are forced to live elsewhere. It is a hard issue…and one we as the Church need to continue talking about.
Scott

I agree with Chris’ comments in every respect but have at least one bright side at the micro level to share. I live in a neighborhood that has been experiencing gentrification for the past 15 years or so. One result of the rapidly escalating property values was that a number of seniors, many of which were approaching or at circumstances where they were unable to live alone or keep up a single family residence, were afforded a significant nest egg they never would have had during the years of disinvestment.

Thus, I’d say it’s important to never think of the issue in black/white, good/bad terms. What matters is that neighborhoods become stronger and more sustainable. What’s incumbent on all of us in any time of change is that the disadvantaged are identified and negative effects are mitigated through proactive means.
Rex Perry

As the author of the feature in Southern Living, I struggled with the dilemma of spotlighting neighborhoods drawing in new investment and driving out existing residents. Can improvement and rising value be a negative? It’s not for homeowners who can sell at a profit, but it’s tough on renters. Neighborhoods on the rise provide better employment, but the workforce typically has to live elsewhere. East Nashville is one of the better neighborhoods retaining affordable rentals, mixed use, and racial diversity. In the end, the real estate market will continue to be a free market. We just have to ensure the free market has a heart and back it up with action.