Change Through Destruction
by Sangay Sherpa
Gentrification
So why does gentrification even matter? Doesn’t gentrification just make a place better? Wrong. While gentrification does renovate buildings and such to make them better, it doesn’t stop there, that’s just the surface of gentrification. People never truly see the full picture of gentrification unless it has happened to them. Gentrification ends up causing displacement of long term residents and neighborhoods are ruined. So where does gentrification happen? Gentrification typically happens in lower class areas, usually being cheaper to buy for larger business. Gentrification ruins the history of the neighborhood that is being gentrified. Many older neighborhoods tend to have a rich background that many other ‘outsiders’ do not see. We might think that gentrification is just when a New York neighborhood is renovated to become bigger and cleaner. Well, gentrification is not just that - it's taking the small local businesses and replacing them with big chain businesses. No clearer example of gentrification can be seen than in Santa Barbara, a small Spanish style town with no high-rise buildings. In my eyes, gentrification would ruin the town of Santa Barbara, especially in the area known as the Funk Zone. The Funk Zone is a place with converted warehouses and buildings decorated with graffiti murals and contemporary art pieces. Gentrification in the Funk Zone would destroy the vibe of the place along with the murals and warehouses.
Today, however, what we talk about when we talk about gentrification is a far more destructive process, one that i prefer to call hyper-gentrification |
... its not racism, its classism |
Brief Summary of Art Project
Research Question - How do people on Staten Island view the recent discussion of its transformation/gentrification?
Essay Thesis - This is because gentrification is not just happening in some places and not in others. Everything around us is getting gentrified, from the small local coffee shops turning into Starbucks all the way to buildings getting destroyed just to later build them even taller or bigger.
How does this art project connect to my essay - This art project is just like my essay, having the main point as gentrification. Unlike my essay though, I just talk about gentrification in general and the affects that it has
What I was trying to convey through this art project - Just like my research essay, I am trying to open up people's eyes to the scary reality of gentrification. While it might not directly affect us in some situations, we still need to accept that it happens. Sometimes to go forward in life, you must go backwards first.
Essay Thesis - This is because gentrification is not just happening in some places and not in others. Everything around us is getting gentrified, from the small local coffee shops turning into Starbucks all the way to buildings getting destroyed just to later build them even taller or bigger.
How does this art project connect to my essay - This art project is just like my essay, having the main point as gentrification. Unlike my essay though, I just talk about gentrification in general and the affects that it has
What I was trying to convey through this art project - Just like my research essay, I am trying to open up people's eyes to the scary reality of gentrification. While it might not directly affect us in some situations, we still need to accept that it happens. Sometimes to go forward in life, you must go backwards first.