Pages for Prosperity: Discussing Gentrification is Inevitable and Other Lies” | NGIN Book Club
Written by Mari Kate Mycek and Betsey Suchanic
Our Book this Session
This quarter we selected and read, “Gentrification is Inevitable and Other Lies” by Leslie Kern. The book covers many topics and hard-hitting questions around gentrification, such as, “What does gentrification look like? Can we even agree that it is a process that replaces one community with another? It is a question of class? Or of economic opportunity? Who does it affect the most? Is there any way to combat it? Kern proposes an intersectional way at looking at the crisis that seek to reveal the violence based on class, race, gender and sexuality.” At NGIN, we are always eager to deepen our understanding of all forms of inequity and injustice, and more importantly, the creative ways that communities are fighting to change things for the better.
Our discussion of this book, and the topic of gentrification more broadly, allowed us to question our own assumptions and definitions about gentrification. How have we experienced it in our own work and lives? How does it fit within conversations of inclusive economic development? Who is building solutions and ideas of anti-gentrification? We closed by discussing what parts of the book and the discussion resonated most deeply with each of us. Here are some themes that arose.
Language and Intentionality.
Something many of us appreciated about the book was the many explanations, examples, and definitions of gentrification, starting with the history of the word and how it has been used by different people in different places. We all had different ideas of what gentrification meant, and we left with the understanding that to have productive and thoughtful discussions about gentrification, everyone needs to be on the same page about what it means and how we are defining it. This led us into a discussion about how we each define gentrification. As it relates to our work, we pondered how individuals in Small and Mid-Sized cities and our Equity Impact Investment communities may be defining it, and how we can support them.
Displacement, Justice, and Self-determination.
Our definitions of gentrification, while different, had some important commonalities. We all believed wholeheartedly that displacement is a key problem of gentrification. All communities want and need investment – whether it be vital infrastructure like streets and lights, or places to enjoy greenspace and shopping – the problem is not necessarily investment, it is investment that happens to a community not with and for a community. We discussed the Created Equal podcast episode, “Is gentrification without displacement possible?” as part of this conversation, eagerly searching for examples and strategies that invest in communities and people equitably and inclusively.
Information and Community Engagement.
We also talked about the role of public information and community engagement, and different communities we’ve seen not have enough of either. Many people are not aware when investment is coming to their community, and even those who do know don’t always have the power or ability to have their voices heard as part of the process. We also discussed that even when public hearings are held, it can be unclear whether the information the public shares is used to make decisions. This can be especially troubling if the community then becomes disillusioned with the process and stops engaging. We all had different examples of how gentrification has touched our lives, which led us into a discussion of the role of the individual, compared to the role of corporate power and systemic problems.
Ownership, Power, and Systems.
We appreciated Kern’s discussion of colonialism and the deeply seated and intersectional systems at play when we talk about gentrification. It is impossible to disassociate what communities experience today without talking about the racialized history of the US (she does mention other countries as well). We have examples of communities being able to stop unwanted investment (Not in My Backyard/NIMBY), yet this seems to only happen in middle-class white communities with social and political power. We discussed the troubling rise in corporate ownership of housing, climate gentrification and disaster capitalism, as well as the government potential role in curbing these issues through intentional investments. We left wondering, what does justice look like in this context of gentrification, and how can we identify solutions throughout the entire process of gentrification?
Overall, the group really enjoyed the book and the opportunity to dig into this important and challenging topic. We are eager to continue understanding how communities are combatting gentrification and what solutions we can support through our work.
Want to bring this discussion to your organization or community?
As NGIN convenes these discussions among team members to learn more about inclusive economic development, we wanted to share our discussion materials, questions, and takeaways with our broader network. As you feel it’s relevant to your organization, partners, or community, please feel free to download and host a Pages for Prosperity discussion.
At NGIN, we grapple with topics relating to equitable economic development every day in both our professional and personal lives, from the communities we work alongside to the businesses we shop at. As a team, we wanted to create a way to explore different topics and experiences within the realm of inclusive growth that are not necessarily part of our everyday projects. Additionally, as a fully remote team, we are always exploring ways to build new ways to connect and grow together. Our first step was to create a team book club, Pages for Prosperity.
This year, we are convening our team for quarterly discussions to dive into and discuss various books, podcasts, articles, films, and other content related to inclusive economic development. Facilitated by Mari Kate Mycek and Betsey Suchanic, Pages for Prosperity operates in much the same way as a typical book club, with team members submitting discussion materials and voting to select that quarter’s topic.