meghnasudhakar

[meghnasudhakar]

For 11/30: How gentrification hid in the shadows of the COVID pandemic

While gentrification has been on the rise for as long as we can remember, its damage has become eerily noticeable during and, now, "after" the pandemic. After the pandemic, the streets of San Francisco, in particular, have been overrun with homelessness due to severe underfunding. This issue has become exposed in several other cities due to local economic downfalls across America.

Before reading through the following articles, watch this video that explains common struggles with gentrification in recent years, specifically in Brooklyn. This video provides good context about the effects of gentrification from the residents' perspectives and how these issues are further complicated by climate and natural disasters (cough, cough, the pandemic?).

This article goes through an NCRC (National Community Reinvestment Coalition) study done in San Francisco and other cities around the country during COVID to investigate the effects of gentrification and investment into "Opportunity Zones."

Another interesting article to consider is how gentrification may have been reversed during the pandemic. This is an interesting counter perspective to think about. Read through just the introduction and abstract. These sections give an overview of how the pandemic may have discouraged investors from gentrifying previously planned neighborhoods due to economic and social issues that the pandemic highlighted.

While watching/reading these materials and after, consider the following questions:

Do you think that "reverse gentrification" happened because of the pandemic?

What do you think are the major effects of COVID on gentrification? Do you think the pandemic discouraged corporations or gave them a chance to further gentrify neighborhoods?

How do you think people responded to gentrification in light of the pandemic? (There were no articles linked about this above but will be something we discuss during class)