Blockbusting was a common practice during the final years of forced segregation. In essence, it consisted of selling properties to black families in predominantly white neighborhoods and encouraging white homeowners to sell their properties at low prices. In turn, the homes would be sold to African Americans, often at outrageously high prices. This practice, along with mortgage discrimination, contributed highly to the creation of ghettos in big cities, spawning racially segregated neighborhoods such as South Central, Compton and Leimert Park in the city of LA[1].
Gentrification, on the other hand, is quite the opposite. With gentrification, middle class families and individuals become priced out of their own neighborhoods, so they must move on while upper middle class families move in. Gentrification may seem to some to be a solution to poor neighborhood problems. While it undoubtedly does have its benefits, such as crime reduction, it can also affect the communities by contributing to the loss of identity and character.
Those who view gentrification in a positive light see it from the perspective of development and improvement. It takes place in areas once riddled with crime, drug traffic, and poverty. South LA once exemplified these woes. Pop culture is filled with images of the Larry King riots, gang violence, and poverty. It is no coincidence that the most well-known gangster rap artists came from Compton. These artists’ shocking lyrics were just drawn from their everyday lives[2].
As these places become gentrified and employment surges, so does their image. Higher income and tax revenues provide better-funded institutions such as the school system and police agencies[3]. It generates wealth as homeowners see their equity rise and sell their homes to move to better areas. As the status of gentrified locations increases, more investors appear and so on.
But gentrification does have a dark side. The improvement of these locations rarely benefits the locals. For them, it generally does not mean that they were able to raise their status or were able to find better jobs or become investors on their own.
On the contrary, it usually means outside investors, people who are professional and well-educated, cannot afford homes in more affluent locations and are forced to buy in these areas. In turn, as the demand rises, so does rent and leases, while home affordability decreases.
The poor people in these areas who are not homeowners have no option but to move to look for more affordable areas. Gentrification causes displacement and it usually hits minorities the hardest, in particular African Americans.
Due to years of mortgage discrimination, many African Americans have not been able to purchase homes and build wealth of their own[4]. Now they are priced out, displaced from the neighborhoods where they grew up as other families move in.
As Erin Aubry Kaplan[5] points out, gentrification is closely associated with race. In a sense, it is the opposite of block busting. While in the past it was the blacks kicking out the whites, now it is the whites kicking out the blacks from their own communities. It seems that blacks moving is interpreted as busting the neighborhood, while white people moving in is seen as an improvement.
As gentrification expands in Los Angeles, African American communities now face a loss of identity. To some of them, it is seen as a familiar old story, as once again what was theirs – a piece of home – is taken away. This threat is especially highlighted when the newcomers do not appreciate the past and the history of the area, opting instead to transform its character.
Integration seems to be the key word in this debate. As America becomes more diverse, and the prospect of mixed neighborhoods becomes pivotal, gentrification may seem as a way to achieve it. However, it does not always work this way. In fact, it could be argued that a new form of segregation emerges due to displacement. It is white people that move into minority-majority neighborhoods, not the contrary[6].
While it true that gentrification does come with its benefits, the displacement it causes usually means that few people who lived in the area before can actually reap its benefits. True integration comes from mixing, discarding the idea that everyone should live in their own assigned areas[7]. It arises from a blend of communities, individuals, and cultures in such a way as to create something new and unique.
[1] (http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-bader-resegregation-los-angeles-20160401-story.html)
[2] https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-gangsta-rap-2857307
[3] https://www.planetizen.com/node/92831/gentrification-better-and-worse
[4] https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/05/the-racist-housing-policy-that-made-your-neighborhood/371439/
[5] http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-kaplan-inglewood-gentrification-20171126-story.html
[6] (http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-bader-resegregation-los-angeles-20160401-story.html
[7] http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-leimert-park-20170208-story.html
Eric Lawrence Frazier, MBA
President and CEO
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