If you walk through North Portland, you might notice a few things. You might notice the tea house. You might notice the quirky gift shops. You might think “this is a nice place to live” after spending time in the park. But you probably won’t see the changes that have happened to the area over time. Merriam-Webster defines gentrification as “the process of renewal and rebuilding accompanying the influx of middle-class or affluent people into deteriorating areas that often displaces poorer residents.” This is what happened in North Portland.  Although gentrification may reduce crime in an area, it is an unfair and racist practice that forces poor people of color out of their neighborhoods, breaks strong communities, and leaves cities with a diminished culture.
    

The process of gentrification often leaves minority residents displaced. Census data shows that Chicago has lost 200,000 of its African American inhabitants in the previous decade (Berkshire). This shows the factor that race has. The amount of black residents exiting the city is too high to be a coincidence or an isolated incident.   This drop in residents of color in such a historically black city is just one example of the dislodgment that has become so common.
   

Well established communities are often disbanded. Gentrification of Chicago’s West town has had a strong effect on the Hispanic population present for generations. “The Latino character in this area is being eroded” (qtd in Moses). This ‘erosion’ of character shows the impact gentrification has on neighborhoods. It causes the culture to be spread out and diluted until it is eventually replaced.

Replaced by a cookie-cutter group with no variation. A Loyola University study found that, what used to be a hodge podge of young and old, black and white, is now homogeneous, full of white 30 somethings and their dogs (Moses).  This shows the lack of life left in these places.  Decades of brilliant culture and taste is being dominated by one point of view.    

People argue that gentrification leaves an improved city with lower crime, higher income, and better living for residents, and that may be true… for those who can afford to live there. Homeowners may see benefits of a richer neighborhood, but those renting will only see the increase in their monthly bill. Saffron in “Changing Skyline” offers some solutions.  She says that, in order to allow residents to remain in their homes during transformations and have places to live for every income-level, cities need to: “gather data on displacement” to have calculable numbers to determine how much low-income housing is needed, “keep existing homes livable” to reduce construction costs and time, and give “small grants to help qualified, low-income homeowners to make urgent repairs” because renovating old homes is cheaper than building new ones. All of these ideas help to improve the neighborhoods without the lower class suffering.

It is argued that gentrification leaves communities with an improved atmosphere, but resident displacement, breaking up communities, and a whitewashed culture proves that to be untrue. Cities could be improved instead by offering enough low-income housing for its residents, and keeping current homes livable to reduce construction.