Abstract
This paper asks readers to consider both the positive and negative impacts of gentrification on residents and business owners. The paper draws from a project that used a walking methodology to explore a neighborhood, in addition to supplemental readings related to various ways of experiencing and knowing, racial history and tensions, and issues surrounding gentrification in other areas. I begin this paper by describing experiences I had as a child, and how those previous experiences colored my perception while walking through an area of town that is now vastly different due to revitalization from my memories from when I was younger. I also explore connections made from reviews of literature related to alternative methods of collecting and exploring data, as well as reflections from sensory and emotional experiences during the walks. This research was contextualized using articles and news clips discussing various viewpoints regarding if the changes in the neighborhood should be called revitalization or gentrification. I then leave it to the reader to question both the positive and negative impacts of gentrification.
Highlights
I grew up on Vernon Street in Memphis, Tennessee, U.S in a neighborhood that would have been looked upon by outsiders as lower socioeconomic
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could have an old building preserved, while allowing the less affluent families and individuals in the surrounding neighborhoods to remain in their homes? This article explores the following questions: How does Crosstown concourse work as a force of gentrification in the neighborhood? What are the effects of those forces? To explore these questions, I will share my arts-based research project that used walking methodology to exploreplacements and interconnection in the Crosstown area neighborhood
When I was walking around the Crosstown Concourse and up the street past the businesses in the surrounding area, I couldn’t help feeling nostalgic for my memories of the area from the past, and for what changes might be coming for the individuals who live and work in that area
Summary
I grew up on Vernon Street in Memphis, Tennessee, U.S in a neighborhood that would have been looked upon by outsiders as lower socioeconomic. My sister and I never knew we were poor, just as the other children in my neighborhood did not know This was because our parents created a sense of community and made every possible effort to provide a loving, nurturing environment. I thought about the owners of Phuong Long, the Vietnamese restaurant I love, and how they have prime real estate in walking distance from the Crosstown building Their spacious business could soon be very expensive with rising costs of rent, and I can see the very real possibility that they may have to move or at least cut their space in half. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could have an old building preserved, while allowing the less affluent families and individuals in the surrounding neighborhoods to remain in their homes? This article explores the following questions: How does Crosstown concourse work as a force of gentrification in the neighborhood? What are the effects of those forces? To explore these questions, I will share my arts-based research project that used walking methodology to explore (dis)placements and interconnection in the Crosstown area neighborhood
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