Free Essay about Regentrification of Urban Communities in the US: Chicago

Gentrification involves rehabilitation of old buildings and improvement of housing quality in a neighborhood. Regentrification holds the same meaning as gentrification. This seemingly positive endeavor has been a source of financial, social, and political strife in the city of Chicago. People in support of regentrification, mostly developers and landlords, cite transformation of residential (Randjelovic, 2018), job creation (Chicago Tribune, 2018), and educational improvements (Governing). However, contrary to expectations, the working class communities are often pushed out of gentrified neighborhoods such as Pilsen, Chicago has improved residential are occupied by the middle class (Curran, 2018). Usually, the new arrivals are people who would have avoided such neighborhoods before the renovation (Publisher's Weekly, 2018).

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Moreover, the displacement is far-reaching and touches on the culture of the previous occupants (mostly Latinos in Chicago) of newly gentrified areas (Betancur, 2011). Nonetheless, the new buildings are often too expensive for the local communities and lead to exploitation if the members want to stay (Betancur, 2011). Gentrification offers little benefits while impacting adversely on local communities and minorities

I chose to discuss regentrification because it is a subtle form of social-ill disguised as beneficial developments. Gentrification is drawing a heated debate as its demerits become more evident while the beneficiaries become apparent. To the middle class who take over the developed areas, renewal is a good thing. But to the local communities who get replaced, the process is a calamity. Therefore, gentrification boils down to priorities. The local governments and developers must prioritize between the middle class who would farewell even without gentrification of neighborhoods and the working class who are dependent on these areas. Researching on this topic will bring to light the great disadvantages suffered by target communities so that a few may enjoy more advantages. Development is often a good thing, but the exclusion of some communities in the construction of their own homes does more harm than good. Growth must be inclusive to benefit everyone and renewal has been shown to serve those who have while denying those who do not have.

The sources used for the research include online newspaper articles and journals. The primary sources used include an article by the Chicago Tribunal in 2018, gentrification statistics from Governing, and two items from the Urban Studies Journal. The secondary sources used in this report include an article from the Journal of the Geographic Institute and an interpretation of The Battle of Lincoln Park from The Publishers Weekly. The sources are credible because they are from reputable news reporting companies and peer-reviewed journals. Furthermore, except Betancur's article published in 2011 and Governing which uses statistics from 2013, all other materials are very recent with most published in 2018. Therefore, the pieces are relevant because they discuss contemporary issues. The statistics from Governing may not be credible because the study happened a long time ago and the website does not link to any reputable organization. Betancur's article was published more than five years ago, but it is mainly used to illustrate possible impacts of gentrification. Therefore, the material is credible. An item is credible if its source has been verified and it was published within the past five years.

All sources used in this report apply to the content. The article from The Chicago Tribune gives the advantages and disadvantages of gentrification in Chicago. Also, Randjelovic article gives the attitude of the minorities towards restoration. The report from Governing gives historical data on renewal such as impacts and successes. Curran's article in 2018 provides firsthand experience on the effects of gentrification while Betancur's 2018 report looks at the cultural implications of the process. Finally, the article by Publishers Weekly interprets the impact of restoration from a famous novel. Most of the sources concentrate on the effects of gentrification on marginalized communities and are, therefore, in line with research goals, and the other sources contribute to the rebuttal. The sources cover both the negative and positive aspect of the research topic thus having sufficient scope.

In conclusion, the research should concentrate more on the plight of the displaced communities. Majority of the previous research identifies more negative effects than positive effects of gentrification. Therefore, the study should include a survey to determine the extent of these effects and if they are significant. The research designs applied are primarily descriptive and do not demonstrate causal relationships thus making them less reliable but informative. The associational research will directly link results and causes but may be more time-consuming. Most of the research methods used for this topic are also quantitative. They do not employ empirical methods to determine the actual extent of the effects but rather use personal opinion or the opinions of a few residents. This method may be subject to personal bias. A survey of both parties (the local communities and the new arrivals) analyzed by empirical methods would eliminate the resulting prejudice. The advantage of this qualitative method is that the results can be generalized despite being time-consuming and expensive. Quantitative research has a higher margin of error but is cheaper and faster. The sources used did not include any ethical dilemma and neither will this research.

References

Betancur, J. (2011). Gentrification and Community Fabric in Chicago. Urban Studies Journal, 48(2), 383-406.

Chicago Gentrification Maps and Data. Governing. Retrieved from http://www.governing.com/gov-data/chicago-gentrification-maps-demographic-data.html

Curran, W. (2018). Mexicans love red' and other gentrification myths: Displacements and contestations in the gentrification of Pilsen, Chicago, USA. Urban Studies Journal, 55(8), 1711-1728.

Editorial Board (2018). Renewing Pilsen: When Chicago's history and future collide. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved from http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-edit-pilsen-gentrification-displacement-20180321-story.html

Randjelovic, J. (2018). Influence of the Selected Minority Group on Gentrification of Chicago Neighborhood Edgewater. Journal of the Geographic Institute, 68(2), 281-288

The Battle of Lincoln Park: Urban Renewal and Gentrification in Chicago (2018, July 23). Publishers' weekly pp. 191.