By: Simir Hampton

January 16, 2019

Gentrification in Philadelphia: A Closer look

Philadelphia is home to 115 colleges and universities, which means that our city is filled with large amounts of gentrification. Gentrification is the process of making a neighborhood or region appear much better and increase monetary value of the region. This could be caused by a wealthy organization moving into a city or a specific neighborhood, buying property, and making the area look better for their businesses. When you hear this, it doesn’t sound bad at all. But in reality these create a very obvious separation between neighborhoods in our city. This process also pushes out the poor and working class people and lower middle class out of the area and allows the more wealthy class people move in. The effects are obvious all around the city. As you pass Diamond street going towards Susquehanna, you start seeing fewer Temple flags and more broken windows and abandoned houses. The universities that control the most land in our city are Temple University and The University of Pennsylvania.

Is Philly slowly transitioning from the city of brotherly love to the litter box of these overpowering universities? Let’s hope not.

Sadly, gentrification is not only in Philadelphia; it occurs in other major cities, like Boston and Los Angeles that are taken over by well known universities like UCLA and Boston University. These universities may make our neighborhoods look “better” and “more safe” but they also raise our rents and cause families to move to other parts of the city.

So when you're walking downtown or driving along broad st., try to notice the change as you go further away from center city. Gentrification is everywhere!

Want to read more about this? Check out...

https://whyy.org/articles/3-maps-explain-gentrification-philadelphia/