I wrote this whole article and sat on it, but then The Atlantic went and scooped me! Goddamnit!
Here's the Atlantic article on the
link between housing prices and liberal cities. SPOILER ALERT: they're connected.
And here's my take on why gentrification isn't the real problem.
It's a buzzword. A word people hate to hear and a word that induces hatred. But gentrification isn't the problem. It is A problem, but really it's a symptom of a much larger issue.
Forever people have been extolling the benefits of city life. It's greener, you don't have to commute the same distances, there's usually better public transportation (we are going to ignore L.A. and Houston for the time being), there's culture feet from your doorstep, there's diversity. The problem is, the call to cities has been
more heeded than people were expecting and no cities have been prepared and no cities have effectively responded.
And therein lies the biggest problem. We aren't talking about an area gentrifying and moving people next door, we are talking entire cities and people having to move far away.
This isn't a problem of a group of wealthy people exactly, but a much larger problem of our policies and government. It is what initially stemmed the defunct and chaotic Occupy Movement. The difference between the have and the have nots is stark, and nowhere is it more stark than in popular cities.
And this is why it's a liberal problem.
Liberals live in the cities. They are more open to social change, social welfare, and diversity, but they are at the center of a homogenization and they don't know how to deal with it. And many of the policies they've put in place have had serious blowback on the lower, middle, and creative classes.
There is guilt, defensiveness, reverse anger, and blinders put on whenever possible.
Everyone knows what is going on, capitalism is thriving in the big cities. It's dulling them to bits and liberals don't know what to do to shift direction. It's everything they stand against, but it's unclear how to change things without compromising on some of the liberal policies that were put in place in the past.
So here's some ideas for how to help. They aren't easy and they aren't going to help things over night, but they are a start.
Forget NIMBYism. Build up and build fast. I know it sucks to have your view impaired, and you might be afraid of losing charm, but guess what? There's only a small select group of people who can afford that view and charm anyhow. This also means that sometimes an endangered fly, or the fear of traffic problems, well that shouldn't be enough to stop a project either. New housing policies and projects need to be streamlined and pushed through asap.
Stop voting for incumbents. They weren't prepared for this housing crisis and they aren't doing much about it now. New blood is good. Sometimes the devil you know is just the devil you know.
I'm all for capitalism, but don't be greedy. This one is hard. Who doesn't want the nicest of something, but there's a lot more to life than things. Just try to notice when things are out of control. Is that music festival pricing people out? Can you stop supporting that festival and maybe support local artists who play more regularly? If you are going to spend $1200 dollars on a chair, can you find one made by a locally? Or when you recognize things are out of control and consider NOT buying the $30 deconstructed bowl of pho and trying the $6 one. I hear it has good reviews on Yelp, and I know that you put your foot down on other things--only organic, free range, faux leather, no Nike.
If you're a business, stop building the fanciest kitchens and catering all meals. A little bit of this is fine, but promote being involved in the neighborhood on a daily basis. Coffees and lunches out is a great way to support the businesses who were in the neighborhood before yours.
Also, if you're a business, promote time for your staff to volunteer in the city. Allow people to take time to work at soup kitchens, tutoring kids, etc. Even promote that shit!
And here's a big one, I know you're busy, and volunteering is time and time can be hard to find, but along with volunteering can you give to charity? Find ones you like and give. Not just to diseases, though that's all well and fine and really the government should be funding more science and research. But give to charities that help the underserved. Tutoring, after school programs, shelters.
The liberals who live in cities are living in situations that go against their ideals. Their homes are surrounded by the homogenization of wealthy business people. But with some policy changes and personal changes, things could get better.
But you're gonna have to compromise some ideals.
