New York City is facing various environmental issues, however, one issue that caught my interest in New York City’s development. Usually, when one thinks about New York City, they’re quick to think about skyscrapers, the city that never sleeps, one of the most populated cities, etc. However, New York City has neighborhoods where there is poverty and that development is needed. That is where the environmental issue is seen. Development may be seen as a good thing; however, development usually means the gentrification of neighborhoods. Poor people are pushed out of their homes as rent increases, as property value increases, and as everything around them increases. In the articles that I will be presenting, gentrification is seen as a problem, not a solution. This is important to note due to the fact that development is not necessary for all the areas of New York City.

In the scholarly article, The Gentrification of Harlem? by Richard Schaffer and Neil Smith, the authors discuss the development of gentrification of Harlem since the beginning. The author, Mr. Schaffer, is a professor at Columbia University and is part of the Division of Urban Planning and Historic Preservation. Additionally, the other author, Mr. Smith, is a professor at Rutgers University and is part of the Department of Geography. Therefore, the authors do have the required expertise to examine and write about Harlem’s gentrification. The author’s main purpose throughout the article was to inform the audience about the “Debate over gentrification…around three main questions: the significance of the process (or its extent), the effects of gentrification, and its causes. Under these three headings, we shall attempt to summarize very briefly the major arguments. It will quickly become obvious that these three issues are closely interrelated.” Furthermore, the author targeted an educated audience due to the language and sophistication used throughout the article. This is mainly due to it being a scholarly article, however, it seems as if the authors’ wanted to inform whoever was interested in knowing if Harlem was being gentrified. The authors’ tone is alerting as the authors want to alert the audience of what is to come. “If these conclusions are necessarily tentative, the study has the added value of providing an empirical base for evaluating the trends that will emerge in the late 1980s.” The author is warning about the future implications of their research and what is to come to Harlem. The genre the authors use to convey their research is a scholarly article. Additionally, the medium that they present it is through a journal. It was published in the Annals of the Association of American Geographers Vol. 76. The authors use sophisticated language to convey their research. Lastly, the authors’ stance on gentrification is against it. Since the authors talk explicitly about Harlem, a predominately African American neighborhood, the idea of gentrification in Harlem is seen as horrible. Harlem is the heart and soul of African American culture and if the residents are pushed out, Harlem loses its meaning and purity. The authors state “From our examination of data on social changes in Central Harlem up to 1980 and of transformations in the housing market through 1984, we conclude that the initial stages of gentrification can be observed in Central Harlem, especially in the western corridor.” Therefore, demonstrating that they are warning about the gentrification that is taking place in Harlem and that will eventually take place all over Harlem, Central Harlem was just the beginning.

Additionally, in the newspaper article “Gentrification in a Brooklyn Neighborhood Forces Residents to Move On” by Vivian Yee, discussed the issue of how Brooklyn born and raised residents were being forcefully moved by the rising rents. Vivian Yee graduated from, Yale and reported on New York politics and New York City for five years, therefore she is a credible source that has experience. The author’s main purpose was to demonstrate how Brooklyn natives are being pushed out of their homes due to the high rents. She acknowledges the fact that “The people arriving in Crown Heights are fleeing high rents in Manhattan and elsewhere in Brooklyn. Likewise, the people leaving Crown Heights often go farther east into Brooklyn in search of affordable homes…” (Yee) This demonstrates that there are a lot of people fleeing higher rents, however, nothing is being done to stop gentrification. Furthermore, the author targeted ordinary people as her audience. This can be seen because she doesn’t use any big educational words, instead, the author aims to alert everyone and anyone who reads her piece. The author’s tone is more of a compassionate tone. She makes a specific tone so that when people read her newspaper article, they are aware of the situation but also feel bad for the people experiencing gentrification. The medium that the author presents her article is through a newspaper. She uses The New York Times as the medium to publish her article. Lastly, the author does seem to have a stance in the problem generated by gentrification. The author seems to oppose gentrification due to all the native people being displaced and struggling to live. She can say that it is unfair in her article, without clearly saying it is unfair.

Furthermore, in the article “Brooklyn is Now the Least Affordable Housing Market in the Country” by Jacob Davidson, the author discusses the rise in the value of Brooklyn homes. Jacob Davidson is a news editor at Time. He previously worked at Money covering the economy and everyday finance. Therefore, Davidson has experience with economics and knows how to study markets. The author’s main purpose was to inform people of a recent study that found that “Kings County, also known as Brooklyn -was the least affordable (county) in the nation” (Davidson) Although many people will be surprised from the fact that Brooklyn is the least affordable county is simply due to the fact of how the study was conducted. “The study gauges affordability by measuring the percentage of the locality’s median monthly household income that is required to make monthly payments on a median-priced home in the area.” (Davidson) Therefore, once the median household income is taking into consideration, it is seen as absurd on how expensive the houses can be in Brooklyn. Furthermore, the author targeted ordinary people as his audience. This is seen through the language he uses which is friendly and informative but not scholarly. The author’s tone is friendly, informational, and a hint of surprised can be seen but not really warning about gentrification. Therefore, the author does not really provide if he has a stance on gentrification. Additionally, the author is mostly focused on the rise of property values than gentrification, therefore, his/her stance cannot be concluded. The medium the author uses to publish his article in Money Magazine.

Lastly, in the article “See How Hard Gentrification Has Hit Your NYC Neighborhood” written by Noah Manskar, the authors discuss a study done by graduate students that allowed a map to be developed based on gentrification. The map demonstrates all the different neighborhoods in New York City and how they are being affected by gentrification by classifying each separate neighborhood as being in the process of gentrification, severer gentrification or if the neighborhood is going to be gentrified. The author’s main purpose is to inform residents of how hard gentrification has hit their own neighborhood and they are in the process or at risk. “’Our work shows that the housing affordability crisis is displacing low-income families throughout the New York region, a pattern that is being replicated in other high-cost regions around the country,’ Karen Chapple, a city and regional planning professor at the University of California, Berkeley” (Manskar). This demonstrates that gentrification is not just going on in New York City, but is also affecting other major cities throughout the nation. The author’s tone is friendly but also warning. He is warning low-income families about the potential that their neighborhood may be next and to be prepared to be displaced. He is providing a map and therefore allowing all low-income families to be able to check if their neighborhood is being gentrified or will be gentrified or if it is safe from gentrification. Either way, the author is warning that not all neighborhoods are safe from gentrification and that most families should be prepared for it. The author’s stance on gentrification is against it. The author states that although some New York City neighborhoods are not being gentrified, low-income residents are still being displaced. “’Even if New York City can protect its low-income renters in gentrifying neighborhoods, that won’t necessarily ease the displacement pressures on the other communities throughout the region which are experiencing similar issues of rising rents and fewer housing choices,’ Moses Gates, the Regional Plan Association’s vice president for housing and neighborhood planning.” Therefore, the author is opposing gentrification. The medium the author uses to publish the article is the website Patch.

In conclusion, the four sources that were analyzed demonstrate a knowledge and awareness of gentrification. In the articles, the authors can be felt to have some sort of astonishing reaction due to the high price of homes and the median household income is incredibly low. All the articles are able to portray a different view of gentrification. The study is able to demonstrate the beginning of gentrification and the newspaper article is able to get the people’s point of view and what they are struggling with. The magazine is able to captivate the real estate and how prices have surged, and lastly, the website is able to give more information on which neighborhoods are being severely affected by gentrification and which neighborhoods are next. Additionally, many articles sympathize for the New York City natives who were born and raised in New York City and are proud to call New York City their home but are unable to live here any more due to the fact that they have been pushed out since they are unable to pay the rising rent anymore. That is the sad reality that New York City faces.

 

Works Cited Page

1. Davidson, Jacob. “Brooklyn Is Now the Least Affordable Housing Market in the Country.” Money Magazine, 4 Dec. 2014.
2. Manskar, N. (2019, April 21). See How Hard Gentrification Has Hit Your NYC Neighborhood. Retrieved from https://patch.com/new-york/new-york-city/see-how-hard-gentrification-has-hit-your-nyc-neighborhood.
3. Schaffer, Richard, and Neil Smith. “The Gentrification of Harlem?” Annals of the Association of American Geographers, vol. 76, no. 3, 15 Mar. 1986, pp. 347–365., doi:10.1111/j.1467-8306.1986.tb00124.x.
4. Yee, Vivian. “Gentrification in a Brooklyn Neighborhood Forces Residents to Move On.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 27 Nov. 2015, https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/29/nyregion/gentrification-in-a-brooklyn-neighborhood-forces-residents-to-move-on.html.