The Social Implications of Gentrification

Can It Be a Tool for Self-Improvement?

Photo by Zetong Li from Pexels.

“There is something inherently stupid about gentrified thinking. It’s a dumbing down and smoothing over of what people are actually like. It’s a social position rooted in received wisdom, with aesthetics blindly selected from the presorted offerings of marketing and without information or awareness about the structures that create its own delusional sense of infallibility.” —Sarah Schulman

At its basic level, gentrification refers to transforming outside influences on a lower-income neighborhood into something more desirable and affluent.

It often involves raising real estate prices, increasing the value of a property, and providing upgraded services, such as better infrastructure, shopping districts, and enhanced quality of life. 

Gentrification can be seen as the antithesis of self-improvement.

But is it an antithesis? 

I’m a firm believer in systems theory; in that sense, I support the idea that everything is connected. Could Gentrification be harnessed to…