I was curious about gentrification, specifically the consequences for original residents. This article manages to do some justice to what it’s like to get priced out of a neighborhood, while also giving some insight into how the character of neighborhoods change as new people move in.

Here’s a common stereotype reexamined, too: it turns out, lower income doesn’t always correlate with higher crime in inner city neighborhoods. Jefferson Avenue is a rare example of this in action, because the tight-knit neighbors have essentially formed their own rock-solid “moral police” force. But as more multi-generation residents are economically evicted, so to speak, what will happen to this moral fabric? The neighborhood may still be crime-resistent, but now it’s for a different reason.

It seems unfair that higher income usually means less crime. It’s often used as a justification for gentrification-inducing efforts. Ideally we should encourage the things that create livability in the first place: trust, neighbors you can count on, families staying in one place for generations… not necessarily money. But money also drives amenities, which we like. Besides, if the whole world is gradually becoming more mobile, will we still have these ideal neighborhoods anymore? Or will neighborhoods just be taxonomic demarcations used for convenience by realtors?

My own family consisting of my mom and me has moved 9 times since I was born, and in the past 5 years I’ve moved 3 times. This might be a bit on the high side, but it isn’t that unusual. I can’t imagine the likes of Jefferson Ave being the norm anymore. In this new age, it looks like the economy is the only thing you can count on now to make your neighborhood a safe and livable place. And this makes me a little sad, even though I’ve never even lived in a place like Jefferson Ave, because maybe I never will.