USA: +1 415 256 4347 
Sign in
Question
Here are the instructions. Links to the youtube video and the website are under these instructions. Compare and contrast gentrification in two non-Portland Oregon locations, at least one of them not in the U.S. (so you may need to do some internet research); what are the driving forces? Who is affected by the changes in what ways? Be as specific as possible. You probably want to check out the “art of gentrification” website and watch the movie before posting; you can use Barcelona or examples from the class readings as the cities your post.
Please keep this paper easy to read.
https://youtu.be/kdXcFChRpmI
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/gallery/2016/nov/30/art-gentrification-patterns-data-visualisation-herwig-scherabon-
Answer
Compare and Contrast Gentrification: Boston and Barcelona
Barcelona and Boston have experienced rapid gentrification in their neighborhoods. Gentrification is an urban phenomenon in which residents living in a certain part of the city are displaced from their houses due to the emergence of economically more powerful groups of people vying for such locations. Tourism is the main reason for driving gentrification in Barcelona since it is the most visited city in Spain. Commercial and tourism-driven gentrification is rampant in Barcelona, creating conflicts between its long-established residents and visitors. Barcelona is rich in the arts and in tourist locations, thereby experiencing an influx of people in the city, many of whom stay back. Thus, the two factors for gentrification are interlinked, as tourism and culture are the major industries in Barcelona.
On the other hand, a population of students is majorly responsible for gentrification in Boston. Due to universities like Rutgers, which attract many students from across the nation and the globe, Boston sees a steady inflow of students each year. Not only does this drive up the commercial competition for city space, it also creates a dearth of space as there are more people vying for a limited amount of space.
A loss of space and indirect displacement, pushing residents of the city outwards, are visible both in Barcelona and Boston. Gentrification in Barcelona creates a cultural pressure upon the existing way of life. Consumer-oriented activities organized to please tourists create an aura hostile to Barcelona residents. The older residents of Barcelona, therefore, have resorted to organizing protests and struggling with the government on the use of the city.
Gentrification in the two cities affects their residents, particularly those part of the older professions, the elderly, and people of lower incomes. The cost of living is on the rise, a particular example being the cost of housing in Barcelona. Neighborhoods in Barcelona have been transformed to meet the needs of its tourists at the expense of its residents. This shows a devaluation of its earlier residents due to the rise of the tourism industry. For example, this resulted in increased loss of communal spaces. Boston has been experiencing high housing prices and employment and income inequalities stemming from socio-economic processes. Visitors in Boston have the means to pay for high rents, and the low-income earners already staying in the city cannot afford such expenses. This is seen rather acutely in the case of the black and working class communities of Boston.
