Gentrification is the process of urban renewal where communities and lower-income residents are displaced by wealthier individuals or businesses, resulting in changes to the socioeconomic and cultural fabric of a neighborhood. In Orange County, gentrification affects cities daily — from drastic changes surrounding Disneyland to construction in lower-income neighborhoods, profit-driven intentions frequently displace marginalized communities.
Although public amenities created through gentrification may provide some benefit to nearby neighborhoods, the harm imposed on the displaced communities remains apparent. While not explicitly forcing original residents to leave, gentrification increases property prices, leaving them with no other option but to move into disadvantaged areas that are more affordable. It reduces the quality of life for residents, displacing the problem into affordable surrounding communities. Community stakeholders must shift their priorities to the well-being of the entire community instead of developments in infrastructure that compromise the environments and marginalized neighborhoods.
In Stanton, a motel was torn down to make way for new shopping centers like Rodeo 39. Although intended to create a clean environment to improve the city’s conditions, these decisions fail to address the root causes of the issue. Job growth and the tight housing market impact gentrification, and as residents move into cities, like Echo Park, families are consistently displaced for their wealthier neighborhoods. Long term residents are pushed out, stripping a neighborhood’s cultural fabric and history. As the city value increases, lower-income families are forced out into disadvantaged areas, stuck in a perpetual cycle of financial distress.
Although enjoyed by the general public, these new changes often come with the displacement of entire communities and the removal of a neighborhood’s historical significance. The history behind neighborhoods can be completely erased and replaced by investors or developers looking for profit.
As low-income communities that originally lived in the area are pushed out for more affluent members to move in, tensions can arise, and the socioeconomic disparity can lead to microaggressions between neighbors, which can also be related to race. Ultimately, these residents are pushed out into less advantaged areas as property owners benefit from their hardships.
Gentrification has been a persisting issue for decades, yet it has to come to an end. It has become a classist method in improving communities, when alternatives such as focusing on community needs and holistic growth can improve urban areas without displacing their original residents.
As families face uncertainty and instability in their own homes, the living conditions and the historical and cultural significance of Orange County neighborhoods must be prioritized.
