When I lived in Williamsburg, the word “gentrification” was a dirty word. Sure, we were the middle class that moved into a neighborhood once in decline, but once the luxury condos started going up and the yuppies with their Prada bags shuffled in, the term had new meaning. It became the epitome of greed and narcissism. Many of these luxury condos sit vacant, as no one can afford them now. Now, living in the suburban sprawl of Shirley, NY - an area that has a bad rep, some of us recent pioneers to the area are welcoming the term with open arms. When a couple of years ago, I would get pissed about Starbucks moving into the ‘Burg, I am thoroughly excited about the prospect of chains moving into the area. While some people who grew up on the Island are skeptical, since change out here happens a lot slower and methodical, I am pretty psyched that the efforts to incorporate a Village are pushing forward. People are committed, and that in itself is exciting. They are also sick of the stigma - and when people get angry and cannot take it anymore, they take action. Something to certainly be happy about. Another thing that I didn’t do as a lifelong NYC resident was pay attention to the local elections aside from the Mayor. Now, I realize that acting locally is crucial to the revitalization plan. Recession Gentrification (via TheNorik)

When I lived in Williamsburg, the word “gentrification” was a dirty word. Sure, we were the middle class that moved into a neighborhood once in decline, but once the luxury condos started going up and the yuppies with their Prada bags shuffled in, the term had new meaning. It became the epitome of greed and narcissism. Many of these luxury condos sit vacant, as no one can afford them now.

Now, living in the suburban sprawl of Shirley, NY - an area that has a bad rep, some of us recent pioneers to the area are welcoming the term with open arms. When a couple of years ago, I would get pissed about Starbucks moving into the ‘Burg, I am thoroughly excited about the prospect of chains moving into the area. While some people who grew up on the Island are skeptical, since change out here happens a lot slower and methodical, I am pretty psyched that the efforts to incorporate a Village are pushing forward. People are committed, and that in itself is exciting. They are also sick of the stigma - and when people get angry and cannot take it anymore, they take action. Something to certainly be happy about.

Another thing that I didn’t do as a lifelong NYC resident was pay attention to the local elections aside from the Mayor. Now, I realize that acting locally is crucial to the revitalization plan.

Recession Gentrification (via TheNorik)

July 6, 2009  

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