Young, educated city natives are being forced to pit their financial needs against their geographic desires in a battle against gentrification.
The recession has set off a domino effect of gentrification across the country, as rising rents force the middle-class population out of the neighborhoods they grew up in and into lower-income areas, writes Nona Aronowitz. As she puts it, "Young city natives who were raised middle class and are now struggling financially have upper-middle class tastes but working-class or poverty-level incomes." And with the change in location comes a political crisis for many who must now deal with the realization that, from a technical point of view, they have become gentrifiers, whether they like it or not.
Aronowitz describes her own experiences living in New York and shifting gears to a cheaper apartment in Harlem, but, she claims, what she and the younger working-class population in New York are experiencing is happening all over the country. "Young adults with a four-year degree are about 94 percent more likely to live in close-in urban neighborhoods than their less-educated counterparts (up from 61 percent in 2000). Yet many of those same young, educated people are living on the poverty line. Half of recent graduates are either jobless or underemployed."
Some would argue that the struggle to afford living shouldn't be equated to affording a lifestyle. In these hard economic times, 20- and 30-somethings may need to get used to adopting a simpler way of living.
Aronowitz suggests one alternative -- following in the footsteps of those who engaged in a "more constructive" form of gentrification, by relocating to "places like New Orleans, Austin, or the Rust Belt to save money, help with revitalization efforts, or become a big fish in a small pond."
FULL STORY: How the Recession Made Me a Gentrifier in My Home Town

Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network
The company plans to install electric car chargers at most of its stores by 2030.

EPA Awards $267 Million to Clean Up and Reuse Contaminated Sites
The EPA is investing the funds to clean up and redevelop contaminated sites nationwide, supporting economic growth, community revitalization, and environmental restoration.

Knoxville Dedicates $1M to New Greenway
The proposed greenway would run along North Broadway and connect to 125 miles of existing trails.

Philadelphia Launches ‘Speed Slots’ Traffic Calming Pilot
The project focuses on a 1.4-mile stretch of Lincoln Drive where cars frequently drive above the posted speed limit.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions