LA is Changing and We Can't Stop Talking About It
One of the most central conversational topics in the early City of Angels discussion has been gentrification in and around Los Angeles. It is undeniable that gentrification has had a drastic impact on low income communities and how many of them have had their culture stolen by rich demographics. Our discussions have been centered around communities like Highland Park, Echo Park and Silver Lake, communities in which many of us live or have lived during our time in LA. We treat the topic of gentrification like none of us are associated with it, but whether we like it or not, each and every one of us in the is class has contributed to gentrification. This could be as simple as supporting certain clothing stores or restaurants or it could be as significant as purchasing a home in a gentrified community.
Although Gentrification is a very significant topic, we have all treated it like it is the only important aspect of Los Angeles. As the city grows, we have failed to mention the positive developments to the city and how, more often than one may think, the communities in Los Angeles have come together for one unified purpose, yet we still focus on the gentrified communities in LA. Gentrification has been the most central point of our class, but is it the most central point of Los Angeles? If not, why has it gravitated toward the center of our class?
The City of Angels class discussions revolve around our curriculum and syllabus. While we decide what certain questions or goals we would like to achieve, we are still guided by Dr. Stogdill and Ms. Gladden on what parts of Los Angeles we are tasked to explore. I think that the reason gentrification has overwhelmed our class dialogues is because we have focussed on spaces in Los Angeles. By spaces, I mean counties, neighborhoods, corners, and even store fronts. It is difficult to analyze these spaces without exploring the development and history of them. The certain areas which we discuss (Highland Park, Echo Park, Silverlake) are prominent because we either live in or visit frequently these places. We have yet to acknowledge certain areas in which their community is thriving because: 1. we do not often hear about these communities, and 2. these communities lacks controversy regarding space. Our class has tended to focus on the "controversial" side of LA in hopes that it brings more lively discussions. What I have found is that most of us agree on the issue of gentrification to the point where we simply state that an area is gentrified without exploring the why or how deeply enough. If our class agrees on one side of the issue, I think we need to research or hear an opposing opinion from someone active on the other side. I have not even explored the issue of contributing to or stopping gentrification. I believe discussion is just as important to formulate ideas, and our class lets us do just that.
ReplyDeleteI definitely believe that gentrification is a central part of LA, mostly because LA is a city. All major cities across the U.S. deal with some sort of gentrification. Do I believe that LA is characterized or special in its inner-migration patterns? Well, no more than Chicago or New York. However, just like all cities, understanding the history of gentrification provides a key look into the past life and current goings of the city. It is an easy, yet key lens that broadly assists us in looking at the political, societal and cultural changes in LA.
ReplyDeleteI think the reason we have gravitated to it so early, is that gentrification is an easy thing to witness and discuss. Looking down York Blvd and watching as a Vape Goat is erected next to a ridiculous Pizzeria, it is simple to point out the immigrant. Just this summer, anti-gentrification activists in Boyle Heights successfully lead an Art Gallery into closing its doors. The straightforwardness and modern presence of gentrification allows ease in kickstarting our various discussions. Yet I believe that as we go further in year, we will go more into the reasons behind gentrification and eventually tackle the various other topics surrounding LA's history and its future.
Gentrification is a key part of the make-up of Los Angeles because it doesn't just include the development of buildings, but also includes the shifting of people. A community is defined by the people who live there. From past to present, the areas of LA have dramatically changed as the flow of people has brought new attitudes and lifestyles to shape distinct communities. As observers of LA, it would be difficult not to notice and discuss how one community of people suddenly becomes a new community of different people, different class. Highland Park, Echo Park and Silverlake may be places that some of us live in which I think makes it somewhat our responsibility to know, understand and be aware of the social and structural changes that occur there. We haven't removed ourselves from responsibility, but we are instead breaking down gentrification in order to better understand the communities and people who surround us. As a class, locations, communities and people have been our starting focus which is why we have been discussing gentrification so early on. Similar to how we listened to everyone's "Coming to LA Story," looking into the shifting and shaping of communities in LA is giving us a better understanding of Los Angeles as a whole.
ReplyDeleteIn recent years, gentrification has definitely had a significant role in the development of Los Angeles. In class, we have focused mostly on the negative impact of gentrification, and have failed to address the possible positive outcomes. While I do not think gentrification is the most central point of LA, I do think it is an important topic worth talking about. Although we may not all live in the areas of LA like Highland Park or Echo Park, it is impossible not to acknowledge and notice change and development, whether negative or positive. Especially with our recent experience visiting different street corners, we all observed some type of gentrification taking place, which did and will continue to lead us to have in-class discussions centralized around gentrification itself. Some of us may view the "trendy" coffee shops and new shops as a nice addition to the community, and some of us might see the new developments as intrusive and unnecessary. We have been talking about gentrification from one perspective and because each community is unique, we should explore different viewpoints when discussing the effect the new developments have on each place. Because each distinct community is different in their own ways, this only makes it more important to analyze gentrification with respect to each area.
ReplyDeleteIt is difficult for us as a class to have an unbiased view on the gentrification that is encompassed in our conversation in CoA thus far because, as you stated, we contribute to it. Visiting "trendy" restaurants or living in up and coming neighborhoods are ways in which we are contributing to gentrification. I did find it interesting that as I found myself doing things that are encompassed in gentrification, I was unaware of my contributions. When I moved to Silverlake, we did so because of the school district my brother and I were entering and eventually the gentrification OF Silverlake pushed us out of it. We moved to Mount Washington because we found beautiful house in our price range not really taking into account that Highland Park was growing right down the hill. And eventually moved to Eagle Rock because we did not want to move to Pasadena. While we moved to the certain up and coming areas of LA for a purpose, we were unaware of the hipsters and new coffee shops that were plastered all over until we were there. And further more, as my friends and I search for new, "trendy" places to have brunch, we are encompassed in gentrification without knowing/admitting it. I think because it is in our daily lives and so evident around us, it gravitates to the center of our conversations naturally. After going to my groups corner during the Urban Lab, it furthered my belief that gentrification is all over LA. Although every nook and cranny of LA is not being gentrified, there is enough gentrification within LA to lead our class back to that topic often.
ReplyDeleteGentrification has been a hot topic within our class discussion and is a large issue, however I do not believe that gentrification is the single most significant problem within Los Angeles. It is extremely unfortunate that the process of gentrification causes many families to struggle with their payments and causes them to move or eventually become homeless. Gentrification is an extremely difficult topic to discuss as well because of the two different perspectives that people may procure about the topic. Whether your perspective be that you view gentrification simply as the betterment of a city or if you view the issue as inhumane the important thing to note about gentrification is that it is a topic that everybody can relate to without being the "awkward one out". When dealing with issues such as racism, cop brutality, or how bad our public schools are often times us gifted individuals at Poly not all the time can relate to issues such as these. However with the issue of gentrification, it is an problem that everybody can talk about educatedly and one that does not require any "light" to be shed on it because we all can see the communities change around us. Dealing with issues such as racial profiling and police brutality however not everybody can relate to these. As problems such as these (racial) have occurred in Los Angeles for decades, the only change that has caught peoples attention is the outcry and riots that have occurred across the country to deal with this issue. The reasoning behind this large outcry as well is to grab peoples attention because not everybody can relate to the problem. This is why I believe gentrification has been such a popular topic within our class. I think that there are much larger issues going on not just in Los Angeles but everywhere across the country, but because all of these issue are not as relatable or easy to talk/deal with as gentrification is this is why that topic is so prevalent and others are not.
ReplyDeleteWhen discussing topics that pervade our city, it is common to speak about these issues with passion and to find these issues troubling, but it is not to say that they are they only issues that exist. We live in a city where issues of race, gender and class surround us. As a class we have chosen to focus in on gentrification, this is an issue that is directly related to these larger issues of racism and classism. As a class talking about this issue, we have been passive in regards to actively trying to be part of the solution to the consequences gentrification has on many marginalized groups of people. Treating it as an issue that is unrelated to us is naive, and simply not the case. I have been to countless new breakfast places opening up in highland park and mount washington, often realizing the political stand I am taking when I consciously choose to spend my money there, and often turning a blind eye. Speaking about the positive and negative affects gentrification has on “developing” neighborhoods, often involves taking a side. As a class we have not spoken as in depth of the positive effects gentrification can have, this may be due to the vocabulary associated with gentrification. Words such as “displacement” and images of people unable to afford rent of their homes make these positive effects harder for me to see. It's difficult for me to recognize the positive effects, because I know that the local state and federal government did not invest money in these primarily brown and black neighborhoods in the first place, and now these neighborhoods are being gentrified and these “positive” outcomes exist because of the movement of people. These outcomes come at the expense of many people and are enjoyed by a few.
ReplyDeleteGentrification is an undeniably common topic in our day to day City of Angels discussions. Most of our dialogues either focus completely on the idea of gentrification or eventually drift into that realm of discussion. As a class it is important to remind ourselves that gentrification is not the only problem that Los Angeles and its greater communities face. I live on the boarder of Pasadena, Eagle Rock, and Highland Park. It is evident which city is which by simply taking a quick drive through the area. Pasadena has always and continues to be very developed and modern with all the best shops and restaurants. Eagle Rock and Highland Park have just begun their change into a more modern and developed neighborhood. My dad often says, “Highland Park is really happening Ella! You and your friends should check it out.” I think this is a perfect example of how our day to day lives and general conversations turn into an ethical question of whether we should contribute to gentrification or not. Gentrification is something that we can witness and somewhat relate to. Other issues in LA such as poverty, homelessness, and gang violence is not a subject in which most of the people in our class can relate. Although it is exciting to see these neighborhoods thriving with their trendy clothing stores and hip coffee shops, we need to remind ourselves of the people who were displaced in order for these places to come about. I think the positive affects on the city are exciting especially for the owners and new generation of inhabitants but there is a much greater negative affect on families and other business owners who are unable to keep up with the fast-moving economy and development of these cities.
ReplyDeleteWhile I believe that gentrification plays a very large role in many communities and and impacts many residents of Los Angeles, I find it hard to say that "it is the most central point of Los Angeles." As unfortunate as it is, it is part of capitalism and difficult/ almost impossible to avoid. I do believe that it is important to be educated and recognize the impact that gentrification has on lower class individuals lives, and to try not to purchase housing in certain areas of LA that you could see are needed by others, but at the same time, I think it is just blasphemy to try to tell me that I shouldn't purchase a cup of coffee from a new hip coffee joint just because it is there because of gentrification. I can assure you that my $5 will not be contributing to gentrification of a part of Silver Lake more than me washing my car will contribute to the drought. I believe that the class tends to shift their focus onto gentrification because it is beginning to happen a lot more in their own communities, so our class is seeing and understanding it first hand. I fully support the government taking action in order to try and level the playing field, but I also believe that behind each new coffee shop and hip dessert bar there is an entrepreneur that is out there trying to pay their bills, so I believe that those businesses shouldn't be seen in such a negative light.
ReplyDeleteI believe that gentrification is pretty significant and that we do need to have it be a central point of our Los Angeles discussion because it has changed that Los Angeles originally was. Taking a lower class area and renovating it to make it conform to middle-class taste is something that should not happen. As well as the fact that it substantially raises property value and ruins chances for lower-class individuals. I don’t think that we contribute to gentrification or that I do at least. I feel like it has gravitated towards the center of our discussions because it’s something that is so prevalent in the social life in Los Angeles, and I believe that we should still talk about it.
ReplyDeleteAlthough gentrification is an extremely significant topic in today’s society and especially in our quickly changing LA neighborhoods, I respectfully disagree that our most of our conversations have revolved around it. We did spend time discussing its relevance to our class’s focus and formulating an essential question that properly labels and classifies the term “gentrification,” but I think we have yet to have a deeper dialogue on its effects on the city and in our own lives. Our class spent a lot of time describing each of the four street corners we visited, even designating certain shops and cafés as modern, third wave spots that attract a different crowd than seems to inhabit the area. However, we have not discussed whether the new fitness studio in Highland or the Boba tea house in Alhambra (just to point out two) negatively or positively impacted the community or whether it impacted it at all. Some of the developments created in an attempt to change or indirectly gentrify an area fail and often end up rendering useless and forgotten in a community: this could be because an area rejects a newer establishment or because the initiator of a project misjudges the need for a more modern business within a neighborhood. I do think that gentrification may gravitate towards the center of our class discussions simply because it is particularly relevant nowadays and because, like others have mentioned, it encompasses a change that one can truly witness, recognize, and even follow. We may want to reference it in conversation because it serves as visible evidence we can point to and use in creating an argument. I would be interested in having a longer conversation with the class on the possible positive and negative impacts gentrification can have on a community, and think that in doing so we should consider both the "before" and "after" of a gentrified community and the circumstances that allowed for newer, more modern stores or restaurants to be built.
ReplyDeleteGeorge's post:
ReplyDeleteWholeness is something that we are all lacking. In class, and modern politics, gentrification has become the telos of local politics within and out of developing neighborhood. While many criticize the unfair cost of living imposed by wealthy, white millennials, this issue is far more complex then anyone gives credit. In using it as a term to demonize change we risk putting low income residents at risk for not receiving the benefits development can have. In Los Angeles, there have been instances of gentrification which were unfair. The greatest example is Highland Park, wherein predatory renters spiked prices by buying out poorer renters. But, even then, the property value skyrocketed and certain long term residents could sell what were once cheap houses for much higher prices. It wasn't pivotal in L.A, it was a tragedy with a silver lining. In other examples, it's just development. It can come with lower crime rates and environment shifts. But, this change seems bad. The reason I believe it comes up in class is because change is scary. The thought of neighborhoods, filled with a large diversity of cultures unique to the area, turning into commercialized centers is tragic. The thought of long-term residents abandoning their homes is tragic. But, it's just change. Neighborhood cultures are temporal, ever-changing with the next generation. We all would like a "whole," stagnant identity for where we and others grow up, but change will come.
From Halston: The City of Angels class is a class based on both the positive and negative aspects of Los Angeles and more importantly, what makes LA, LA. I think starting with Twilight as kind of our introduction to the class really shed light on the gentrification in Los Angeles and how significant of an issue it is. Having a discussion about the maps and then going into Twilight, the urban lab and Land of Sunshine; these topics showed everyone first hand the issues of LA that aren’t so transparent. I think our discussions have been so centered around gentrification because its such a huge issue about LA that many people don’t address or acknowledge. I also think that within the dynamic of our class, there are so many different opinions, experiences, interpretations, and influences that have impacted everyone’s views. In the class we don’t talk about the positives as much because if someone says something positive about LA, we then all agree, and the discussion is over. There usually isn’t a difference of opinion or much to discuss further. Whereas a negative aspect of LA allows space for explanations, curiosity, and the acknowledgement of controversial issues embedded in LA society. I also think gentrification brings up the issue of displacement in Los Angeles which brings up many more issues about people, neighborhoods, landscape etc.
ReplyDeleteAlthough gentrification is a much discussed topic in our recent dialogues, I do not think that it is the most pressing issue in our city. Our class dialogues tend to drift towards gentrification and its negative aspects because it is an easy topic to discuss. We can all point to areas, cities and communities affected by gentrification, whether in Los Angeles county or outside of it. We can all agree that many of gentrifications effects are harmful to communities. However, today's class dialogue gave me great perspective on the perceived significance of gentrification and other peoples opinions on it. In the dialogue, I discovered that many of my classmates stated my beliefs, that gentrification is an issue but not an overly important one, and that many issues such as wealth inequality are for more significant in regards to the well being of greater Los Angeles area communities. While I still hold this opinion to be true, I did hear some convincing arguments in the dialogue regarding the significance of gentrification. One argument in particular that stuck with me was the statement that entire communities are replaced when their home town's value increases. Although I still hold my belief that gentrification is not a "pressing" issue in Los Angeles, today's dialogue gave me a new perspective on its negative effects.
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