Columbia Heights making waves
A nice piece on Columbia Heights in Sunday's Washington Post, part retrospective, part contemporary reporting. Overall not bad, if I was in charge I would give Curtain Coming Up Again on Columbia Heights (washingtonpost.com) a B+. Not bad for a neighborhood that just a year ago was shaken by a series of gang-related murders.
But, the article really doesn't delve too deeply into the issues of gentrification that are at the heart of the debate in C-Heights. No one in their right mind would argue that bringing in a new grocery store, restaurants, and retail shopping is a negative (Perhaps Target aside), but does it have to come at the cost of the rapid inflation of rents and the displacement of long-time residents?
Now, I don't know if I can offer the proper voice on this issue, as I am in most respects one of the gentrifiers (with a few qualifiers). However, in a city that is racing to shoo out its lower-classes and usher in a new era of wealth, residents need to question what is best for their city. It may not necessarily be the same as what the mayor and the council envision.
For a nice look at the process of gentrification from an individuals perspective, I suggest Inshaw, she has a very interesting take on a process (and a neighborhood) that is about five to ten years behind C-Heights in the gentrifying process.
On the flip side of all of this, I am excited to see performances at the new Tivoli Theater, be much closer to a full size grocery store, and other amenities. Maybe that makes me a gentrifier, but I think that the razed buildings and abandoned lots have graced Columbia Heights long enough.
But, the article really doesn't delve too deeply into the issues of gentrification that are at the heart of the debate in C-Heights. No one in their right mind would argue that bringing in a new grocery store, restaurants, and retail shopping is a negative (Perhaps Target aside), but does it have to come at the cost of the rapid inflation of rents and the displacement of long-time residents?
Now, I don't know if I can offer the proper voice on this issue, as I am in most respects one of the gentrifiers (with a few qualifiers). However, in a city that is racing to shoo out its lower-classes and usher in a new era of wealth, residents need to question what is best for their city. It may not necessarily be the same as what the mayor and the council envision.
For a nice look at the process of gentrification from an individuals perspective, I suggest Inshaw, she has a very interesting take on a process (and a neighborhood) that is about five to ten years behind C-Heights in the gentrifying process.
On the flip side of all of this, I am excited to see performances at the new Tivoli Theater, be much closer to a full size grocery store, and other amenities. Maybe that makes me a gentrifier, but I think that the razed buildings and abandoned lots have graced Columbia Heights long enough.
posted by Fletch at
1:19 PM
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