Gentrification can be a puzzling concept when, you're thinking about its true meaning. The process tends to place you into two groups. The first group consist of those who believe the building of new structures in established neighborhoods will simply, push the poorer residents out of their homes. In the second group you have people that believe new construction projects, help neighborhoods rise economically. Thus, this will improve the lives of the native residents in the long run. I'm not at liberty to tell you the right answer, but both sides of the issue have their strong points. In a city like Philadelphia walking down the street could provide you with examples of gentrification, which are created through both public and private investment.
Heading towards Girard Avenue, I walked down 13th St. to look for signs of private and public investment. As I referred to in my "Community Description" blog entry this North Philadelphia neighborhood has gone through changes in recent years. As I walked down 13th Street away from campus, I saw that this area was very nice and well kept. I also observed several older residents tended to their porches and catching some fresh air. My first encounter with private investment occurred at 13th and Masters. "Taken applications now" was scrolled across the new elderly home development . As you'll find out later this new development is a portion of a trend I caught on to.
As I reached Girard Avenue from 13th Street I observed money from the city government being put to good use. Workers in orange vest followed behind a large steam roller paving the street with fresh tar. Brand new Girard Avenue flags decorated each lighting post. Across the avenue stood the office of a Philadelphia congressman, helping to further display the importance of this transportation hub.
Turning off of Girard Avenue I began to walk down Broad Street. Stopping at Broad and Masters I came across a mural at William Penn High School. Now the first thought that ran through my mind was: "This must have been paid for with public funds", but I was wrong. As I looked closer I discovered the mural was sponsored by a mortgage company. Right there on Broad Street was an example of public and private interest working together to empower the students of the neighborhood. Directly across the street was the Blue Horizon with a new make-over and mural painted on its side.
On the next block heading north is the Human Services Center. All kinds of public and private companies had a presence here, from Clearvision to Channel 6 advertising to offer residents with tax advice. Across Broad Street you could see people visiting the North Broad Street Senior Center, which helped to envision the trend I eluded to earlier. This trend I refer to involves the numerous facilities dedicated to the "senior" residents of the community. I talked about the changing demographics of the neighborhood in an earlier post, but have I now observed it with a new angle. Not only are many of the native families leaving the, but the older residents looks as if they've chosen to stay. They probably feel more of an attachment to the area, and are less willing to relocate to somewhere new. So did private and public investment help this area? In my opinion I would say "Yes". Could my opinion be subjective simply due to my interpretation of initial observations? Definitely!
Pictures above: Girard Avenue (left) & Mural on William Penn High School (right). Pictures below: Human Services Center (left) & North Broad Senior Center (right)
Pictures Taken by: Labaron Palmer
Blogsite Commentary © Labaron Palmer
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