The three
examples of gentrification we have seen last week are very different, both in
terms of scale and state of progress of the process.
The neighborhood the most
advanced and where the most impressive gentrification occurred is definitely
Mueller. The entire neighborhood is new; all the houses are brand new, big and
beautiful. Low and moderate income are clearly not welcome anymore. This brand
new neighborhood doesn’t allow any social diversification at all. Property
taxes must be really high, therefore the closest school is probably very well
subsidized, to the detriment of other schools in the city. When gentrification
is that much advanced, the social discrimination is not only geographical but
is reproduced in the educational system.
The process
of gentrification is completely different in Holly Street. It is
progressive compared what happened in Mueller. Yet, it seems all the same
irrevocable. When one drives through the
neighborhood, the contrast between the houses is very interesting and striking.
Old single-story houses stand next to brand new enormous houses. I would say that
Mueller illustrates gentrification as a fact, as a result, whereas Holly Street
illustrates gentrification as a process.
Gentrification
is not as noticeable in Marlo Heights as it is in Mueller or Holly Street, but,
for all that, the process is definitely starting. We can already see some
renewed houses and the community members are clearly worried about it. When we
went to the community meeting, they had a guest speaker explaining “How to protest against the increase of
property taxes”. This clearly shows their concerns regarding the future
progression of the gentrification process.
