Those investing in the largely Latino enclave of Boyle Heights prefer to use the term "gentefication" - a play on the Spanish word for people - rather than the pejorative gentrification, to describe their efforts to improve the L.A. neighborhood.
"The transition [of Boyle Heights into an area popular with more well-to-do and younger Mexican-Americans] has provided a jolt of energy and a transfusion of money, but it has also created friction with working-class residents here," observes Jennifer Medina. "And tensions over just whom this neighborhood belongs to are a clear sign that Latinos have come of age in Los Angeles, where they are expected to become the majority this year."
“'We’re not trying to get out of the barrio, we’re trying to bring the barrio up,' said Marco Amador, who runs an Internet radio station out of a storefront he helped open in Boyle Heights last fall."
“It’s really easy to say no to things, but the harder question is how do we change things and empower people at the same time,” attorney Alfred Fraijo said. “If we’re closed to outsiders, we’re going to be stuck in the past. If we can figure out how to say yes to development and history at the same time, we can really be a model for this city that hasn’t had one yet.”
FULL STORY: Los Angeles Neighborhood Tries to Change, but Avoid the Pitfalls
The Racial Complexities of Gentrification in L.A.
In some Latino neighborhoods, the gentrifiers are also Latinos. The result is a complicated mix of culture, change, and resistance.
'Vida' Examines Gentrification in East L.A. But Now Faces Backlash from Real-Life Protesters
A show about the impacts of gentrification in a working-class immigrant neighborhood in Los Angeles is generating controversy among those it represents.
Why L.A.'s Boyle Heights Matters to Anti-Gentrification Activists
The historically Latino working class neighborhood is a frequent touchstone in debates over gentrification in Los Angeles. That history goes back decades and colors residents' perceptions.
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Rundell Ernstberger Associates
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HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
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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.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.
