Two articles and one podcast later it hit me that this is not just about revitalizing a community, its not just about making it better, its about making the original community remain as new development occurs. Station North does not want to be like every other gentrified neighborhood out there, where the original community is forced to leave and a whole new community develops. Many of you may think why would I say forced, if people want to leave they leave in their own will, but when did it become their own will when a community starts adding new homes, constructing new sights, buying off their homes (especially if they rent), and having their taxes going up when they cannot afford it. That becomes forced, not free will. From what I read and heard Station North does not force their community to leave, they just want to improve it to make it look good for new members and keep the original community members as well.
The article, Your Art Here: Will the Station North Arts District Paint a Brighter Future for Midtown by Brennen Jensen had a lot to say on gentrification on the past and within the community. As well as the article by Baynard Woods on Can Station North Save the City? Both articles did a good job on trying to incorporate the thoughts of members in the community, and owners of businesses and complexes. It was most interesting to read about the members thoughts on their communities, the changes, and the view on gentrification. There were 3 points within both the articles, that I want to discuss: 1) The two ways a poor community is changed, 2) Overlooking goals of the community members, and 3) The Before and After view of a neighborhood (Jensen & Woods)
When I read the two ways to change a poor community, I had many feelings and thoughts. At first I thought that is true to change community from poor to rich the people are going to have to move. Its what has been happening for years amongst many communities. So, it makes sense why people would think that and fear that. I know if I was living in a community that may have the potential of being gentrified, I would be very scared. I would not know where to go, where to live, what to do, especially if I lived there my entire life. Then I thought, okay so poor community may have to move out, but where do they end up going. If you move them out to make a better community, are they not going to end up moving somewhere else, they will. If that community gets gentrified later on, they are going to be pushed out again. So, why do we keep doing this, there has to be some way to incorporate the thoughts of the already existing community, and making their lives a little more secure before allowing a whole development to be made and lose what you have (Jensen & Woods).
This actually gets into my second point of overlooking the goals of a community. From the article, I grasped that these community members really want their goals to be looked at and going to be taken into account so gentrification doesn't occur in Station North. It is a two way street. The members have to be able to contribute and speak up as well, while the developers need to listen. Like in my third point the member who was telling the before and after points in a neighborhood she lived in, where used to be spotless and now its a mess. In that case scenario, I think the members in the neighborhood needs to step up and start doing themselves, make the community they live in beautiful. Maybe if one person starts themselves others will follow (Jensen & Woods).
I want to get into the podcast from the Marc Steiner show, it was very interesting to listen to talk they had. It actually got the ball rolling in my head on some of the issues that were discussed. For instance, the issue discussed on white developers? I do not have an issue with white developers mostly developing the community, however is there a reason the big developers are only white in a community that is mostly made up of African Americans? What happens if that white developer has some racial differences with the members, how will that person be able to clearly listen to what that community member is saying without being biased. Another point that was discussed, actually it was brought up by the people who called into the show, was the worries they had because they were renters. They weren't sure if their homes would be sold, its not like they would really have a say in that, and than they would be kicked out of their homes, being forced to move. Where would they go? Its not really their fault that their home can no longer be rented. So, what about them? The two articles I got to read and then the podcast I had to listen to really evoked some thoughts, more than I actually had expected, since looking back at this I didn't think I had so much to say.
Lastly, before I end, I do want to throw some questions out in the open? If I got the chance to ever speak to Bob Stone, I would definitely ask a few questions. 1) Has anything changed since the 2013 podcast with having mostly white developers? If not do you see any issues that arrises within the community discussing with them or the other way around. Since even though we are supposedly living in a desegregated society, there is still racial tension that exists. 2) What happens to the members of the community if their buildings do get sold to the developers? Are there new places being provided for them? Are they able to rent other places in the community first, before new people move in? 3) How are the ideas of Station North members being incorporated in the new developing community? If any of you have any insight let me know, I would be very interested to hear.
Below is an image of cartoon I saw when searching for gentrification? I thought seemed true so I shared it with all of you, maybe you have seen it.
(The Gentrification of Spike Lee)
References:
"Can Station North Save Baltimore
City?" The Marc Steiner Show. Trans. Marc Steiner. N.p., 11
July 2013. Web. 16 Feb. 2015.
Jensen, Brennen. "Your Art Here:
Will the Station North Arts District Paint a Brighter Future for Midtown." Citypaper.com.
City Paper, 30 July 2003. Web. 16 Feb. 2015.
"The Gentrification of Spike
Lee." NY Daily News. N.p., 26 Feb. 2014. Web. 17 Feb. 2015.
Woods, Baynard. "Can Station North
Save the City." Citypaper.com. City Paper, 03 July 2013. Web.
16 Feb. 2015.
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