Gentrification Case

Pilsen is situated at the central district of south-west Chicago, close to a number of city's innermost attractions. The community is marked from the south branch of Chicago River to the east. However, it is very easy to access Pilsen by the Chicago Transit Authority's blue line which provides a direct path to the central business district of Chicago and connects to the remaining public transportation of trains. Pilsen is associated with Metropolitan areas such as Dan Ryan, Stevenson, Kennedy and Eisenhower plus it serves four major superhighways for the business sect. The eastern location of the community is situated at the southern side of the University of Illinois which consists of country's biggest and public medical school. Pilsen consist of rich services itself such as The Mexican Arts Museum, a number of churches, restaurants and bakeries. Much of the community has converted into a great deal of asset for many of its further development.

Originally, Pilsen has been home for different immigrant sects. In 1920s, Pilsen consisted of 85,700 immigrants specifically from Poland, Italy and Lithuania. At the starting of 1950s, demographics of Pilsen started to shift towards the expanding population of Mexico and by 1960s the Polish population outnumbered the Mexican surviving in Pilsen. By then, the community has become a significant spot for Mexican immigrants and transferred into the largest Mexican communities. (University of Illinois in Chicago)

Real estate business industry has been combing Pilsen currently to redevelop the buildings. Therefore, due to this process the city has been occupied with the promotion of Mexican culture together with neighboring routes for tourists, conversions within eastern location of Pilsen, and media promoting the area for visiting and developments for income. In short, Pilsen has moved into the central part of high stakes "Gentrification" vision. Pilsen has managed to hold off various challenges for redevelopment of higher income accommodations and its utilization. Yet, the risk has never been so realistic at the moment. According to public, the gentrification process has been moving in at a rapid speed as people see the every day procession of estate and others who are seeking fortune look for big business deals. This has result to a dramatic increase in prices and rents for home. For many residences, this environment has merely been an innovative chapter in showing effort against the redevelopment.

The procedure of gentrification involves a handful of major stakeholders and a number of other people who side by side try to take benefit out of the situation. Firstly, when market economy struggle for economic growth, the local government converts into a leading force behind the gentrification process by increasing taxes. They compete with each other to make their businesses strong. Due to weak economic achievement, unfortunately, leads towards low-income. This as a result converts into a challenge as communities create an influence over administration or it votes out the unresponsive person out of the scene. On the other hand, Mayor of Pilsen has promoted the agenda of gentrification in the city. The government has run into an alarming and highly organized situation of gentrification. Thus, this has led towards the development of infrastructure has become limited, growth of private activity which does not take in public opinion, promotion for tourists, and intervention to contribute to gentrification through development plans. (Paul Lloyd Sargent, 2006)

Apart from government contribution to gentrification, private market plays a vital role in the procedure of gentrification therefore to increase their profit through real estate transactions and rents. In earlier period, the practice of real estate has worsened the economy of minority inhabitants through blockbusting and redlining. Nowadays, they seek for earning profit through the investment in distressed locations to take hold of rent with the outcome of pricing out long term people living there. Private sector has build some inroads within Pilsen such as escalated high property rates which result into increased amount of taxes and severe affordability catastrophe. Residential costs are far above from people to pay. Retailers who are tied with ethnicity are also facing the threat of higher income occupants whose demands for shopping can cuts off their business in the process of gentrification. This way, gentrification threatens the traditional homes and building owners along with retailers who represents the bulk of Pilsen though the banks, trendy retailers, huge chain stores and owners of large lands are being benefited from it. (Kari Lydersen, 1999)

People of the community also play an important for shaping their community's future. Pilsen has been caught into the contradiction amid development and redevelopment plans which leads to a severe displacement. Conversely, local business and home owners might encourage the gentrification procedure to maximize profits by investing in properties. Long term residents this way runs from the hazard of being priced out and renters are defenseless due to the displacement by gentrification. When the rate of property reaches to the peak, rent follows and chops off income for people living over their which replaces them with customers who are paying more.

Pilsen that have built infrastructures to prevent discrimination have added risk of losing it and weakened the causes of its superior population. The community has therefore stuck into the threat of gentrification on their work and has joined in the forces to struggle in opposite to gentrification. In return, people who are benefited from gentrification are promoting their interests against the rest of those who are at risk due to gentrification. Other groups have followed their own agendas and are not that much concerned with the impact of gentrification. However, the market is free and it is not necessary for them to gaze upon the lower income inhabitants. Developers who seek profit have proved that the private sect is not capable to oblige the interests of everyone who is involved in this process. Gentrification might lead to the consequence of such diverging interest's resulting towards conflicts amongst class and race.

Pilsen consist of numerous old buildings, noisy transportation facilities and industries unlike other areas of Chicago. (Tamale Chica, 2008). However, Pilsen has a small amount of empty lots which is the main asset of Pilsen. This is the main reason why housing has been occupied and has never been overwhelmed by low income areas of the same kind. People with low income needs a place to survive like others plus jobs, local services, and other assets that are not easily available for people with low income. Hence, various type of gentrifying pressures and proposals to renew Pilsen

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