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The artsy waterfront areas that are now gentrified were originally large dilapidated work lofts that were not really intended for residents. Many of them lacked
by Ollinson 12y ago
The artsy waterfront areas that are now gentrified were originally large dilapidated work lofts that were not really intended for residents. Many of them lacked bathrooms or kitchens. There is a really good new york times article from the late 1980s that talks about how residents coped with the lack of such basic amenities (I can't find it now but I used it previously in an essay).
Rezoning paved the way for true residential housing and with that came the high prices.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williamsburg,_Brooklyn#Gentrification_and_2005_rezoning http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williamsburg,_Brooklyn#Gentrifi...
- tomlock 12y agoI think we might be discussing slightly different aspects of the same thing. While I think there are certainly actions that the government takes which promote gentrification, I feel like the resistance to it can create communities which actually make the area more appealing to the next wave of gentrification! For example, a squat populated by artists might actually provide more affordable housing for artists while simultaneously making the area more "bohemian" and appealing to the young professionals that like that kind of thing.