GENTRIFICATION WITHOUT EXCLUSION
We can build nice communities in urban areas, write Craig and Marc Kielburger.
Brandon Grossutti estimates he’s given out more than 70,000 free meals.
In 2013, Grossutti opened Pidgin, an upscale restaurant in a downtrodden neighbourhood: Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside is “Canada’s poorest postal code.” In an area afflicted with poverty and substance abuse, the restaurateur is as passionate about helping his neighbours as he is about fusion cuisine.
“We’re a restaurant, but we can still chip away at the issues (in our community),” Grossutti says.
We’re all familiar with those areas of our cities — the streets your mom told you never to walk down, the intersections that appear frequently in newspaper editorials.
The challenge is promoting development in these communities without hurting the most vulnerable residents. It’s called gentrification, an influx of high-end businesses and affluent residents. It can be a dirty word if original residents are squeezed out.
In March, vandals tore through one shopping district of Hamilton, Ont., smashing shop windows, allegedly in protest against gentrification.
City governments carry much of the responsibility for creating development without exclusion, through policies to keep housing affordable, and by support existing small businesses to remain competitive as the juice bars encroach.
But the onus isn’t on government alone.
Incoming businesses and residents must respect the history of the neighbourhood, and contribute actively to the community they now call home. Like Grossutti has done.
In the past, Pidgin ran a free meal program. It now hosts fundraising events for such nonprofits as the Aboriginal Life in Vancouver Enhancement Society (ALIVE).
The restaurant also offers “low barrier” employment opportunities for locals, even for those marginalized by mental health challenges or housing issues.
Earvin (Magic) Johnson is another urban entrepreneur who realized that development must be paired with community commitment.
The former pro basketball player created a business empire and set the standard for revitalization by bringing food and entertainment franchises into America’s inner-city neighbourhoods. He made sure those businesses contributed by offering skills training for his employees, and establishing health clinics and community centres in the area.
We’ve chosen to headquarter our charity in Toronto’s downtown east side since we outgrew our parents’ living room and moved to the city in 2004. When we expanded and opened new offices last year that border Moss Park and Regent Park, we were aware of the area’s challenges.
Rather than avoid our neighbours, we’re hosting monthly youth poetry slams and day camps for local kids, and encouraging our staff to shop locally, including at Building Roots, a non-profit produce store that runs out of an upcycled shipping container.
The smallest gestures can make a difference if you’re a new business (or for that matter, a newcomer) in an up-and-coming area.
“Give time for the people in the community. That guy asking for a cigarette probably just wants a conversation,” Grossutti says.
Even if you don’t live in one of these neighbourhoods, you can still support businesses that do good. When you call to book a table or place a service request, ask about community contributions.
Revitalization without gentrification is not impossible. But it requires those moving in to a vulnerable neighbourhood to be a part of the community, not apart from it.
Craig and Marc Kielburger are the co-founders of the WE movement, which includes WE Charity, ME to WE Social Enterprise and WE Day. For more dispatches from WE, check out WE Stories at we.org.