Gentrification is Uncomfortable (for me at least)

Gentrification is a shift in an urban community toward wealthier residents and/or businesses and increasing property values, sometimes to the detriment of the poorer residents of the community

In a community undergoing gentrification, the average income increases and average family size decreases. Poorer pre-gentrification residents who are unable to pay increased rents or property taxes may be driven out. Often old industrial buildings are converted to residences and shops. New businesses, which can afford increased commercial rent, cater to a more affluent base of consumers—further increasing the appeal to higher income migrants and decreasing the accessibility to the poor. (source)

Okay, so now we've got that squared away.

Gentrified places: Think Oakland, CA and Harlem, NY.

But one place I'm going to be specifically talking about is Williamsburg, Brooklyn (aka Buschwick)

This topic came about one lunchtime when I was sitting on a roof eating pasta salad with one of my best friends.  We were talking about our futures, and our plans, and everything.  One of the things I've wanted to do since I was very young is move to New York.  I've actually had my heart set on going to NYU since I was like 10.  
So,

as we were conversing about our futures and things, we started talking about different

parts of New York like the ideal living situations and areas like 

Chelsea, Harlem, Manhattan, etc but then we started talking about Buschwick 

It was a place I'd only been to once, and I loved it.

It made me feel at ease like I was in a similar place...
like in my neighborhood at home.

Until I realized that it was mostly twenty-something white people living there.

There's nothing wrong with that of course, it's just unusual because that's not who you'd think would be living there.

Why do people like the feeling of being in a ghetto area

but without the actual ghetto-ness of it?

I know I shouldn't actually be offended -- and I'm not at all. 

I'm just a little confused on where the line is drawn though.

Why is it cool to be in a place with graffiti and grime if it's full of white people with money as opposed to if it was full of non-white people without money? 

the way i see it is that it's kind of a little like
urban renewal except instead of even giving the uprooted families any 
kind of consolation money at all
people were simply uprooted from their homes because
the rent skyrocketed due to the 
new trendy shops and restaurants that were popping up in their 'hood.

maybe i'm just an annoyed teenage girl with internet access
(i am but still)
but this is kind of fucked up, right??

"Williamsburg is an influential hub for indie rock, hipster culture, and the local art community. Many ethnic groups also have enclaves within Williamsburg, including Italians, Jews, Puerto Ricans, and Dominicans. The neighborhood isbeing redefined by a growing population and the rapid development of housing and retail space particularly catered to a wealthy population that has been historically foreign to the neighborhood." (source)

well, until next time

xoxo, 

gossip girl

(jk it's alijah)