Urban Proponents Faux Promises

There are other bloggers around here (I shall not name) who are falsely promoting the theory that rents will come down and the quality of life will improve for residents who currently live in areas where redevelopment takes place. Put this in your pipe and smoke it instead of the other stuff.

A hard look at the future of Chinatowns
Philly.com By Jeff Gammage, Inquirer Staff Writer

" An influx of luxury housing, rising rents and land values, a soaring white population, and slipping Asian population could mean the end of Chinatown's 140-year role as a gateway for immigrants and a regional hub for culture and family.

That's the conclusion of a new study by a civil rights and education group that examined two decades of property and demographic records in the three big eastern Chinatowns - New York's, Boston's, and Philadelphia's."

COMMENTARYWho the hell is kidding who?
There's only one reason for gentrification and that is to drive long time economically deprived residents out and move higher property paying tax payers in. Time after time what has resulted where this has taken place is rents and property prices went up, not down. Small business owners were forced out by those who were already were well off.

Anyone who purports they are a liberal and care about the less fortunate are either phonies or dumber then the day is long. I challenge such a person to provide evidence (provide a link) for any individual who had a business or residence prior in such an area and somehow they benefited from such.

Gentrification Of South Of South Street Philadelphia



URBAN CREEP:
Here locally one can bear witness to what's been happening for some time. As each neighborhood becomes gentrified (too expensive to live in) for residents in Allentown, they have moved further North into Whitehall Township. Apartment complexes that once catered to the white upper middle class have now been displaced by lower income residents from Allentown.

We have not lifted up the level of poverty, but rather forced these individuals to relocate somewhere else. Urbanization efforts (gentrification) does not improve peoples lot in life, but rather force them to relocate somewhere else. Proponents would be far better off expending their efforts by trying to advocate for better education, raising the minimum wage and supporting those who currently live in these neighborhoods rather then encouraging rich white guys invest/move in and displace them.

Allentown for many years had poor working class ethnic neighborhoods of all kinds. Bike lanes, high density multi-stored apartments, upscale restaurants, hotels, displacing people for economic reasons and being forced to use public transportation (by eliminating parking) is a white guy's vision that has little to do with what these people want.

At one time in Allentown along Lawrence Street and going down Hamilton Street hill going down East of 4th Street had row after row of homes owned by the blacks. Everyone of them have been torn down with promises that their neighborhoods would become better. After these projects were done they were told they could move back. Ah.. pardon me.. does anyone see homes along Lawrence Street, Hamilton Street hill and others? The homes along 4th Street between Walnut and Hamilton were also torn down and replaced with unaffordable apartments to them at that time. In short they were driven out.

No I'm not in favor of blight, but then on the other hand I didn't make phony promises to them either. These urban planners need to come clean. To promise that life will be better for them is an outright lie. I've seen this time and again repeat itself here in Allentown over the last 50 years. I find it disgusting when promises are made never intended to keep. If these movers and shakers want to change a neighborhood, come clean. Explain to the people they are displacing that they will no longer be able afford to live there. Don't pretend to be helping them. Not only a lie unto themselves but to very people they are pretending to help.

I can understand reasons why cities need to root out troubled neighborhoods. What I cannot accept is giving people a snow job. Urban planners owe these people an honest explanation why they are planning on doing the things they do. Sure the people displaced will be pissed, but nothing comes close to being flat out lied to. Lying to these people and pretending to care about them is why I have lost all respect for any of them. Even a thief holding a gun is more clearly stating their intentions then these urban planners.

When the mayor or a group of people in favor of renewal set about, don't hide the intentions behind the project. Let the people your replacing know things are not going to be in their best interests. This allows them to plan accordingly no matter how much they may begrudge it. It sure beats making false promises that will never materialize for them. If it's one thing I can't stand it's phonies. I'm sure there's more then enough hard feelings against those who have made promises then never delivered on them. If these planners really care about those they claim to have empathy with, they owe it to them to give them an honest explanation of the changes that are about to come their way.

What proponents should realize is rather then trying to manipulate others to come around to their way of thinking, it is they who should come around to those they misguidedly intend to help. These people aren't interested in biking, going out to eat in upscale restaurants nor fancy shopping. What they want is not to be driven out of downtown into Whitehall or elsewhere because they feel unwelcome via being financially displaced by wealthy developers and those proponents of today's urbanization schemes.

I'm not going to pretend to understand everyone's needs, but I do understand this. The Italians, Lebanese, Germans and Polish Americans have been a big part of what historically has always been part of Allentown. White Europeans in this city have imposed their will on them in the past and it's not worked out well.

No matter how well intended these so-called social planners are, about all that's been accomplished has been to create further divisiveness among our peoples here in Allentown and among other communities where they have been forced to relocate.