LFA (1) GENTRIFICATION

Is gentrification good or bad? (or both)

Definition: To renovate and improve a house or a district so that it conforms to middle-class taste.

The general implications of gentrification is to suit middle class taste. Thereby, it should be a good cause for the middle classes.

Politics behind gentrification in most cases are unethical to lower-class inhabitants. Through their sacrifice, gentrification serves to improve the economic value of the gentrified area. Which in turn contributes to the benefit of the overall people, city and country.

The unethical part of gentrification lies in the displacement of the people being gentrified, resulting in the loss of their homes and communities destroyed.

The video [Regenerative Divide]

People who lost their home also lost the places where they made valuable memories. The gentrified neighborhood ends up losing its character and the original inhabitants are alienated by the newcomers.

Gentrification is a sensitive issue that comes for the good of the overall population, but becomes bad when the developers aren't being considerate. If gentrification is inevitable, then it should at least cater and be more thoughtful for the people being gentrified. Changes that are implemented immediately always shocks the people as it doesn't allow time for adjustments. So, a good way to introduce gentrification may begin with incremental changes.

“What is the difference between a living thing and a dead thing? In the medical world, a clinical definition of death is a body that does not change. Change is life. Stagnation is death. If you don't change, you die. It's that simple. It's that scary.” ― Leonard Sweet

However, not all changes occur in a beneficial way.

In conclusion, gentrification should be a beneficial but will only do good if thoughtful considerations are in place, otherwise it would be a waste of resource and disrupts social balance. Architecture can help gentrification through using a thoughtful creative energy to create 'balanced' living environments.

Gentrification becomes bad when the developers aren't being considerate. A shift in mindset when it comes to gentrification is a good point. Drastic changes will always shock people and create discomfort. Hence a good approach for gentrification might be an incremental change whereby change is introduced slowly and allows time for people to adjust. Maintaining a neighbourhood's character becomes difficult when we're trying to introduce new members into the community. Change is, therefore, inevitable and thus allowing time for acceptance would be a good way to go about it.