Gentrification in Philly (Philadelphia: schools, college, closing)

[Better Than You]

Originally Posted by Debbie1125

That's the first thought that came to my mind too. Many long time residents in gentrifying neighborhoods are like Ballard. I live in Manayunk and there is definitely an attitude among some long timers right from the start. I've seen comments on Facebook and on blogs stating such things as "Manayunk was great until the yuppies started moving in" and about the students from various colleges who rent homes. They're ruining the neighborhood......blahblahblahblah.

I get along with everyone. In fact I find many of the younger, more recent residents to be friendly and more social than the older ones.

I had a g/f who was an original resident of Manayunk and she had the attitude that you described.

[Pine to Vine]

I have sympathy and understanding for long term residents of any neighborhood who feel they are being "priced out" of their homes. But we seem to live in a world where we only focus on the extremes of the pendulum swing: either we allow unfettered access to developers or we impose rigid regulations aimed at curtailing any development at all. Set asides for 'affordable living" can help address this and result in a more vibrant community for everyone. The problem is that this model is easier to implement with multi-family projects than it is in a neighborhood gentrifying one unit at a time. Perhaps the city's new "land bank" can be used in such a way to create more economically diverse neighborhoods?

[BajanYankee]

Originally Posted by rotodome

People shouldn't get too worked up about an opinion piece written by a college student..

But most of the people who get into it on this subject want to be worked up over these types of pieces. They are like the posters in the Politics forum who blame Obama for the fact that toilet paper costs a penny more today than it did last year.

[BajanYankee]

Originally Posted by mancat100

In a city like Philadelphia, with massive areas of decay and poverty, a moderate amount of gentrification is absolutely essential to restore a balance. There's a point where it may go too far, but we are years away from that.

One of the "experts" in the article said that gentrification in Philly is more about home prices becoming unaffordable to prospective homebuyers than it is about displacement of current residents. To that extent, I don't think gentrification is as destructive a force as it is in other places. It's not all consuming the way it is in New York.

Philadelphians would probably have a different opinion of gentrification if Termini Bros. closed down and was replaced by Citibank. That's the type of gentrification NYC is facing where basically nothing is safe.

[rotodome]

Too true. Remember what you have, and be careful what you wish for when you're cheerleading for development and gentrification.

[BajanYankee]

Here's the part of the article that stuck out to me more than anything.

One of the more vocal community advocates determined to maintain the diverse character of Point Breeze is Haley Dervinis, 32, a white professional who bought a renovated two-story rowhome on Annin Street in 2006 for $200,000.

That's it? LOL. The woman doesn't even look like your run of the mill, trustfund loaded, kazoo-voiced, New England/Wisconsin liberal arts-educated Brooklyn gentrifier. I'd be perfectly okay with her as a neighbor. It's jerkwads like these that are infecting NYC and other cities.


Standing in the way of an NYC bus - YouTube

When this makes its way to Philly, we'll know it's time to nuke the city at the core and hit the reset button on Billy Penn's Great Experiment.

[Better Than You]

What was he trying to accomplish, BY? The woman was right by calling him a f*cking d*ckhead.

[BajanYankee]

Another one bites the dust...

Out With The Old? Hudson Hotel to Replace Iconic Little Pete's - Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes - Curbed Philly

[Clark Park]

In my neighborhood, a pizzeria on the corner of 43rd and Baltimore - just across the street from Clark Park - called "The Best House" has closed. Old timers remember a neighborhood landmark that was formally called "The Wurst House." Anyway, the owners of Local 44 (a brew pub) have bought the place and are renovating it to become yet another brew pub with 48 craft artisan beers on tap. There will still be pizza, but it will be artisan brick oven organic pizza. As I write this they have hired artisan carpenters and interior designers to transform the place.

[rotodome]

I remember the wurst house. Sounds like a positive development for that corner.