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Let’s first establish the baseline definition of gentrification that we will be utilizing throughout this toolkit. When we use the term “gentrification,” we are referring to:
The process when a previously dis-invested neighborhood changes significantly due to investment and development in the area, often in conjunction with the arrival of more affluent residents.
In the most optimistic sense, gentrification could be understood as a rapidly changing neighborhood. However, we view gentrification through a more critical lens: in reality, most cases of gentrification across the U.S. sees the benefits of the increased investment and interest in an area being distributed unevenly and inequitably.
Here is Pascale Joassart-Marcelli, Professor of Geography at San Diego State University and author of The $16 Taco: Contested Geographies of Food, Ethnicity, and Gentrification explains how gentrification differs from terms like revitalization or neighborhood change, as well as how the foodscapes of different landscapes can affect the gentrification process:
While both gentrification and revitalization may include positive changes — e.g., better sidewalk lighting, safer streets, a greater selection of diverse businesses, and more public resources like schools and green spaces — gentrification refers to scenarios where these improvements cannot be enjoyed equally by all residents.
In particular, displacement and/or cultural exclusion of long-time residents tends to occur in lockstep with gentrification because of changes like large rent increases and the reprioritization of businesses and community services towards new, generally more affluent, residents. While it is possible to achieve neighborhood revitalization instead of gentrification, it often requires government intervention. For example, the Homestead Exemption offers property tax breaks for longtime residents “that help the elderly on fixed incomes remain in their homes even while their home values increase.” (Washington Post).
If you are interested in learning more about the causes, stages, and impact of gentrification, you can read our full Understanding…Gentrification Primer here.
As you can see, gentrification is a systemic issue that will not be resolved by one — or even many — business owners in any given neighborhood. However, we can all still make a difference by actively resisting being complicit in gentrifying an area.
This toolkit provides a series of actions, organized by stage of business, that can be undertaken to align your business with the needs and priorities of the neighborhood. This way, you are investing in growing and evolving alongside your local community, rather than in spite of its existing residents.
Toolkit For Hospitality Business Owners
Toolkit For Food & Beverage Media Professionals
Learn more at www.studioatao.org