GENTRIFICATION AND YOU
Denver Post readers weigh in
Gentrification, or the displacement of working-class poor and minorities, destroys the city’s culture and neglects community members most in need. Major cities across the U.S. lose their identity, as gentrification creates homogeneity, in the form of craft-beer bars, cafes, condos and culturally appropriated taco joints.
These recycled establishments, done in the name of “development,” clearly only appeal to the young and affluent and not to the existent community, which has endured decades of neglect. Gentrification rewards the foreigner with capital while believing the gains will trickle down to the community. If nothing else, your property value increases, right? So, win-win? Except you can no longer shop nearby for your cultural foods or attend local community events you helped build because you must move to a far-away affordable location, which results in your community’s displacement.
Those gentrified are economic refugees, displaced in their own land, for no reason other than profit. We should support and build communities, not destroy them in the name of so-called development. Karl Tetzlaff, Denver
I live in City Park West. My neighborhood in combination with a few adjoining neighborhoods make up what is arguably one of the most rapidly gentrifying places in the country. I feel like gentrification is harming my community. In 1937 my grandfather had to fight to be able to buy the house I live in because of red-lining and systemic racism, and he wasn’t welcomed. Often times when I walk through my neighborhood, I don’t feel welcomed. I don’t feel like new neighbors make much attempt to learn about the rich history of our neighborhoods, and most don’t make an attempt to introduce themselves when they move in, or speak when we pass on the sidewalk. As gentrification continues at a rapid clip, Denver is becoming more and more homogeneous. We are losing the vibrancy in our city that comes with racial and socioeconomic diversity. Tony Pigford, Denver
I’ve been a member of Denver’s independent art community since the late 1980s, and while inspiration of a progressive creative culture holds me here, it’s getting progressively more difficult to stay. In fact, gentrification is causing all sorts of community to be displaced in our town, with a vast number of people who have contributed to the character and quality of metro Denver being priced out of every kind of space. As the land grab reaches new heights, so do building projects being financially out of reach and structurally out of character. It’s hard to understand how a place as interesting and accommodating of bohemian community as Gypsy House Cafe was so easily erased and replaced by a bland makeover for what looks to be a non-descript eatery. Or to pass by countless monolithic structures with hundreds of high-priced units per city block where there had been a street of character cultivated over time by dedicated citizens of a neighborhood. The negative impact of what some would see as positive growth is obvious and alarming. Hopefully the alarm is loud enough to be powerfully heard. Roseanna Frechette, Denver The writer is founder of Denver Artists for Rent Control.
Over the last 47 years, I have lived in the Globeville/Elyria/Swansea area, Capitol Hill, Montbello and Downtown Denver. To reflect on how gentrification has affected these neighborhoods, I’d have to say it’s complicated. Maybe the gentrification of Globeville/Swansea will mean that they, at last, will have a local supermarket, dry cleaner, etc., but both of those areas are, and have long been, residential and it pains me to think that working-class families may end up being pushed out.
The Ballpark Neighborhood, Central Platte Valley and LoDo were mostly industrial wastelands and we felt like we were doing the city a favor to move there. Many who moved here were seeking something more diverse than what seemed to be generic suburbs. We didn’t want everyone to be “just like us.” Fastforward 20 years: We live in a neighborhood where we can walk to find everything, but it is pretty generic in terms of economics and race. Thank goodness for the 16th Street Mall. Lynn Buschhoff, Denver
I live in Denver’s Elyria/Swansea area, and gentrification harms my community. Gentrification is a neocolonial practice where those who’ve been historically granted access to political/social/economic power use that power to dispossess people who’ve been historically denied access to power of land that has again become valuable. The members of my community are disappearing, and the aesthetics of my community are being redesigned to suit the new settlers. Gentrification is racist and classist in nature. I would rather be near the people I love than near countless coffee shops, breweries and yoga studios. I would rather live in a city that is equitable and just than in a city that is “hip.” I prefer to live among neighbors who are mutually invested in each other’s well-being than among neighbors who reshape and exploit our environment to suit their world-view and self-interests without regard for the human cost of their selfcentrism. Brent Adams, Denver
Gentrification is defined as the process of renovating and improving a house or district so that it conforms to middleclass taste.
Who gets to decide what “middle-class taste” is? And, from my perspective, many of the newly built mansions represent something higher than middle class. Regardless, it is the job of the city government to control the construction of these homes through its zoning, building and permitting departments.
I think the city could do a better job of assuring that the new structures conform with the existing appearance and character of the neighborhood, instead of allowing something that sticks out like a sore thumb. There will always be gentrification and neighborhood improvement. These just need to be controlled properly. Joe Felice, Aurora
Using the fear and anger justly felt due to gentrification to halt development will not stop gentrification. Fighting the development of low-density neighborhoods into high-density neighborhoods will not stop them from changing their character. In fact, these strategies will only accelerate the process. Not enough new housing, combined with an increasing population, is a recipe for higher prices. There are a lot of people moving to Denver — things will change one way or another. The trick is to make sure that enough housing and amenities are available so that everyone who lives here is able to stay, and everyone who moves here will be welcomed. Enough of fighting the tide, let’s make it work for us instead. John Chester Riecke, Denver