Philly gentrification ? (Philadelphia: low income, crime rate, townhouse)

[chessimprov]

NL has definitely gentrified, but I feel it's not worth anywhere near what you have to get a place for there unless you want that convenience to the city and that particular environment. But if you're not too picky, it's hard to get your money's worth at NL.

[john_starks]

gentrification lol

this city STILL has too much corruption in city hall...

[enviroman]

NoLibs is being gentrified. It's not fair to say "no one lived there 10 years ago." That's just silly. It wasn't a booming residential area but it was certainly lived in and by mostly low income people. Those people have been pushed out by developers that have gutted and refinished buildings and slapped high price tags on them that the trust-fund hipsters will flock to, and flock they have.

Fishtown is being gentrified. University City has been gentrified (Penn's "let's offer our faculty and staff awesome mortgage rates, guaranteed loans, and down payment assistance to live west of 38th Street" plan has worked very well).

I'm not a huge fan of gentrification. Philadelphia has a very large population of low income African Americans that are not getting the schooling they need nor are they getting the attention they deserve from Philly government. Gentrification just pushes these people out of their homes and into other areas of the city.

[Urban Jungle]

not getting schooling? Yea I wonder why? Maybe because parents can't control their kids enough to actually "keep" them in school. So their kids are out killing starbucks managers at the city hall station in center city.
I don't understand how someone can control a flock of bastard children when they are a child of 16,17,18,19 themselves. There is no control. Ive seen it first hand.
I wander what the average age is of most NEW mothers in philadelphia is?

[chalcedony]

When I was living in West Philly from '04 to '06, Spruce Hill already seemed pretty settled and relatively safe--safe enough at least that I felt fine walking around at night for the most part. (I did have friends who were mugged at gunpoint though--thankfully they weren't hurt.) The area right around Penn Campus seems almost fully gentrified.

But I thought Northern Liberties was old news. Weren't they talking about it being up-and-coming 10 years ago? And Fishtown 5 years ago? What about parts of South Philly around Passyunk Avenue, or Belle Vista and Pennport? Has the commercial corridor of Germantown Avenue in Mount Airy started to improve so that it is more on par with Chestnut Hill?

[enviroman]

Originally Posted by Urban Jungle

not getting schooling? Yea I wonder why? Maybe because parents can't control their kids enough to actually "keep" them in school. So their kids are out killing starbucks managers at the city hall station in center city.
I don't understand how someone can control a flock of bastard children when they are a child of 16,17,18,19 themselves. There is no control. Ive seen it first hand.
I wander what the average age is of most NEW mothers in philadelphia is?

This is fairly representative of the average thought process of the middle-class, blue collar majority that lives in Philadelphia and its surrounding areas.

There are actual reasons that the African Americans (and others - but African Americans are the largest violent crime-producing group in the area by far) that do things like attack a Starbucks manager near Suburban Station or commit other violent crimes. And, newsflash, it isn't because they are subhuman or in some other way substandard to Caucasians. It's because they live in abject poverty. And the "maybe they should get a job" mentality isn't the right one...but it is the one that "let's sweep 'em under the rug" whites generally adopt.

Oh, and I'm white, in my 20s, and not all that liberal. This is just common sense.

[john_starks]

What about parts of South Philly around Passyunk Avenue, or Belle Vista and Pennport?

its not bad. it's supposedly already gentirified, but it still looks like its somewhere in the middle of the gentrification process. there are still a lot of dirt lots here and there. abandoned storefronts. but on the whole, its very cool and hip (i live in the area). the only questionable part is by 5th and Christian and 5th and Carpenter (which is one of Philly's most notorious drug corners)

Top 10 Drug Corners | Cover Story | News and Opinion | Philadelphia Weekly

and enviroman - i agree with you 100%

[pman]

Northern Liberties has been up and coming since the 80's I think. It wasn't some "low income area" in the sense that, say, strawberry mansion is. It was much more working class though...but that kind of skirts the issue. much of the area was abandoned industrial and commercial property so in a sense, it was empty. It left more of a blank canvas than many areas. I think you'll find that the population has increased dramatically there and will continue to do so. as far as pricing, being a short drive away isn't the same as living somewhere, for better or for worse.

[Urban Jungle]

Originally Posted by enviroman

This is fairly representative of the average thought process of the middle-class, blue collar majority that lives in Philadelphia and its surrounding areas.

There are actual reasons that the African Americans (and others - but African Americans are the largest violent crime-producing group in the area by far) that do things like attack a Starbucks manager near Suburban Station or commit other violent crimes. And, newsflash, it isn't because they are subhuman or in some other way substandard to Caucasians. It's because they live in abject poverty. And the "maybe they should get a job" mentality isn't the right one...but it is the one that "let's sweep 'em under the rug" whites generally adopt.

Oh, and I'm white, in my 20s, and not all that liberal. This is just common sense.

I don't believe I mentioned anything about Black people in my quote. And it is Black people, I know plenty of Africans who actually have white skin.

That being said, you may of thought I was generalizing since I started it with "not getting schooling?" related to the previous response. This was intended for anyone in the city that can not control their children to actually "KEEP" them in school and learn to practice good etiquette and respect. Again, how can someone teach their children good values when they themselves don't even have good values. Values like respect for life.
And again, this is not a stereotype, I have seen it first hand in the neighborhoods I have lived in. Intended for all people "STUCK" in poverty. Because thats what they really are right? Stuck? There is no hope for them to get out? Maybe by getting a job? Staying in school? I mean thats what my Irish and Italian ancestors did when they came here and were treated like garbage. Look where they are at today?

Hmm I don't see where I called black people subhuman, but okay? If you automatically thought I was speaking about a specific race then maybe YOU should realign your thought process, not mine.

[pman]

It's interesting that in West Philly black Africans and African Americans don't get along at all. Culturally very different. that said, it's not fair to lump all African Americans in with the "starbucks manager" incident either. that's pretty much ignorance. to be fair, there has been more discrimination against AA's than irish or Italians, though I'd venture to say the Irish and Italians sending their kids to catholic school helped them out tremendously. they weren't products of the Philadelphia school system which basically gives kids all the tools needed to fail (it's better now, but too many schools are still a disaster). Life is complicated