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Gentrification is a topic of discussion in this podcast episode. It is described as a makeover for neighborhoods, where wealthier individuals move in and renovate houses, making them more expensive. This can lead to displacement of current residents and a loss of community. Examples of gentrification in Puerto Rico and Philadelphia are mentioned, highlighting the negative impact on local communities. Developers argue that gentrification brings positive changes and economic growth, while long-term residents express concerns about being forced out and marginalized. The ethical considerations of gentrification are also mentioned, including the loss of homes and the changing dynamics of communities. Overall, gentrification affects multiple cities and stakeholders, and there is a need to balance the benefits and harms it brings. Hi, good morning, beautiful listeners. Welcome back to Ramirez broadcast. I hope you guys are all doing well on this beautiful Saturday and enjoying the bright atmosphere of here of Temple campus and the city that we can all call home. I personally love the positive changes I've witnessed on our campus with the constant improvements, insane upgrades, and a sense of safety it provides. I know it's my first year here on campus, but I do remember my very first college visit about four years ago when I came with my older sister, and we both were very excited to see the new library being constructed with the robot that grabs books for you, which is pretty crazy, and I still find it crazy to this day. The construction on Temple just continues from there. There's a new public health building being built across from Beery Beach by the bell tower, and I know it will only contribute to making the campus more beautiful than what it already is. However, I just want to point out that it is important to acknowledge that not everyone here shares the same experience beyond campus ground. While we get to live in the beauty and progress within the community, the neighborhoods surrounding us don't necessarily enjoy the same benefits, which brings me to our today's topic, gentrification. In today's episode, we're going to explore the dramatic changes happening to our city, the impact of gentrification on different communities, and all ethical aspects that arise from these ongoing transformations. So get ready. Let's break down lay of gentrification and understand how it shapes our city and affects the neighborhoods surrounding it. You might be asking, what even is that? So I'm going to put it into the most simple terms that I can. It's like a makeover for neighborhoods. So just imagine you live in a very old neighborhood, and then you get new neighbors, they're wealthier, and they decide to buy these houses and make so many renovations and make the houses a lot more expensive and fancier, which is pretty exciting. However, when this happens, it means that people who already live there, so you included, might need to move out. So this happens quite frequently at a rapid pace, and you might be thinking, how does this usually happen? And let me answer with an example, Puerto Rico. I am a number one Bad Bunny fan listener, and I don't know if you guys are, but those who do listen to Bad Bunny, he points out this issue in his music video called El Apogón. In Puerto Rico, there are beach houses that are very low cost and affordable, well, at least for the wealthy, not really for those who live around in the neighborhood. But anyways, American celebrities such as Logan Paul saw the benefit of purchasing one of those houses since taxes in Puerto Rico are not as high compared to the United States, and houses were extremely affordable for him. In doing so, other celebrities, artists, and wealthy business owners started to do the same. As a result, businesses were buying property to build expensive hotels and taking over local beaches, which what they do is they block it off in the public, keeping it only for the hotels and wealthy residents, and as a result, the property value in Puerto Rico is increasing, making it more difficult for locals to even afford it. In the music video, you can also see there's a lady who's being interviewed, and she really does go more into detail about the whole beaches and how they're trying to make it more private. So beaches in Puerto Rico, they're not really private. Well, before they weren't, they were very open for everyone to enjoy. So anyone who wanted to come to the beach, they were just allowed to. But what these hotels and basically what the Americans are doing since they're taking over, they're building these very large walls, and it's surrounding their hotel, surrounding a large portion of the beach, and just basically blocking it off from the local. So locals, it's difficult for them to even access the beach anymore, because when they try to, it's like a further route to it, and it just makes it 10 times more difficult to even enjoy a day at the beach. In the video, they also talk about how locals are just storing the walls, because it's completely unfair to them that not only can they not afford in the place they've been calling home for so many years, but they can't even enjoy the local beach that they have been, because it's being blocked off by newcomers. And yeah, I know this is Puerto Rico, but it's happening in their own neighborhood of Philadelphia as well. And the most recent article that I could find based on gentrification in Philadelphia, it primarily focuses around the university city townhomes in West Philadelphia. Where's your low-income housing complexes located in historically black community known as Black Bottom? The neighborhood has faced gentrification for some time now due to the development of Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania. And within the area, other businesses and community centers are being replaced with high-rises and medical facilities. Now, what's happening now is that the residents of the townhomes are now facing evictions from property owners, IBID associates, since they did not, they as in the IBID, did not renew the affordable housing contract with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The residents were told that they have a year to find an alternative housing. However, the timeline was extended with the new deadline of January 31st, 2023. Community members formed a Save the UC Townhomes Coalition to protest the evictions, and they aim to purchase the property. However, this action will require changes, including selling to a third party, securing funds for low-income housing preservation and contributions from local, from the local universities. The owners of the townhomes, so not the residents, the owners as in the IBID, they filed a lawsuit against the city and the council member, Jamie Gunther, after the city passed a law preventing them from demolishing the homes. The article also briefly mentions the ongoing fight to preserve Philadelphia's Chinatown against the new proposed stadium by the Philadelphia 76ers. So, I don't know if you guys have heard, but Philadelphia 76ers want to build a stadium basically taking over Chinatown. It will be basically on Chinatown, so there will be no Chinatown if this does go through. However, this is an ongoing fight, and I don't have more information about that, but this is what's currently happening in our city. Alright, with that, we can see that gentrification affects multiple people from all around the world in many different cities. This is not just happening in Puerto Rico, this is not just happening in Philadelphia, this is happening everywhere. So, I just want to list out the two generally involved stakeholders within this issue. So, generally speaking, there are two main stakeholders that are usually impacted by gentrification, which are developers and residents. Developers, they often advocate for gentrification, emphasizing the positive impacts on landscaping and economies. Developers argue that these types of developments attract investment into previously neglected areas. When invested in one building, it creates a catalyst for economic growth, influencing for more investments in the neighborhood. And these injections and funds can lead to development of new businesses, new opportunities, and increased economy activity. Developers also argue that gentrification brings a positive transformation into the physical and social aspects of neighborhoods. The introduction of new businesses, amenities, and improved infrastructures is seen as an enhancement for improved quality of life for not only those who already exist living there, but for all new incoming residents. So, how I see it is that they're basically arguing, using the Utitarian ethics, sorry, they argue that gentrification can bring positive changes to the neighborhood. So, they're basically weighing the overall happiness or overall well-being generated by gentrification against those who are suffering negative consequences that it causes. So, they ethically evaluate the situation depending on whether the benefits outweigh the harms for the community as a whole. Now, arguments with the long-term residents. So, they often voice their concerns about being displaced from their homes with gentrification. Raising property values and living costs can make it financially unstable for them or unsuitable for them to continue living in a neighborhood. This leads to individuals and families to be forced out, which leads into disrupting social networks and diminishing the sense of community. Residents also argue that there is an unequal impact of gentrification. As property value increases, more wealthier residents move in, causing existing low-income families to feel marginalized. Gentrification often results in a lack of access to the benefits of neighborhood improvements for those who have already been historically part of the community. So, for example, a neighborhood undergoing gentrification will see the opening to high-end shops and houses. However, long-term residents with limited financial means find themselves excluded from these amenities, which contributes to widening the gap between the wealthier newcomers and the existing community. So, before I say my own opinion, I want to look at all ethical considerations. So, people lose their homes when this happens. People who lived in their homes for a while were forced to leave the neighborhoods that they knew for so long simply because an action of others was making it too expensive for them to live. Gentrification can change how communities are and feel because new, richer people move in, meaning the connection and things that made a place special for a long time start to disappear. And it just makes everyone think. So, gentrification, what is more important when cities grow? Is it more important that it's improving, or is it more important that it's not fair, or if it is fair? So, I was thinking, to make gentrification a more positive thing for everyone to enjoy, I want to implement new guidelines that promote equitable gentrification, balancing urban development, and preservation of community well-being and inclusion. So, my proposal, I say we make an inclusion, mandate the inclusion of community members in planning progress of urban development projects. By having the community engage, the projects will reflect on the needs and values of the community, and it will help prevent the adverse effects of displacement. For example, have a community workshop, surveys, and forums to gather input and feedback from the community on all proposed developments. There's nothing bad for wanting the city to improve, but just have the community put their input as well. Have them explain to you guys what they need for things to improve. Like, how can they prove that they can also enjoy and benefit from it? If they live in this community for so long, they'll be the experts of it, basically. So, they'll know what needs to be improved, and they can help developers see that, basically. And I would also like to enforce regulations that would require a percentage of new housing developments to be affordable for low and moderate income residents. This affordable housing provision will help maintain economic diversity and promote a more inclusive community, because why should the wealthy be the only ones to enjoy what's new, right? And lastly, I would like to advocate for legal binding agreements between developers and the community. And these bindings will outline specific benefits, such as affordable housing, local job opportunities, and preservation of cultural aspects. The community will be given the opportunity to benefit from the gentrification and ensures that everyone will be able to take advantage and enjoy the advantages of gentrification, not just the wealthy. So, the intended effects of my proposal is to ensure that all developments will benefit all residents, creating a more inclusive and socially connected neighborhood. However, the world is not perfect. So, although my proposal sounds good to you listeners, and it sounds good to me, too, there will be limitations that will prevent it from happening. There will be financial constraints. Securing all the funds needed for my proposal will be a challenge for projects, and if they can't get these funds, they're all projects. Basically, they all have a budget. So, without the budget for it or without the funding for it, it can't happen. Other challenges will come along trying to balance the interests of developers and community. It will take a lot of careful negotiation and legal framework. And I know communities can be difficult. I know people will just not want to change whatsoever. So, there will be a lot of arguments back and forth. Like, this plan can work for some, but definitely will not work for all. So, in conclusion, my proposal is seeking to redefine gentrification by prioritizing community involvement and affordability, which aims for a more equitable and sustainable urban development. Well, that's all I have for you guys today. I definitely want to hear your opinions about gentrification and how you guys see it. And how, basically, students of Temple University, how do you guys see this? Like, I've seen it. I know it's happening, and I'm well aware. But what are your thoughts about Temple gentrification? Anyways, have a great Saturday, everyone.