Gentrification In Downtown Eastside: Positive And Negative Impacts On The Economy Of Canada

Discuss about the Social Work in Canada.

The gentrification in the Downtown Eastside concerning low-income population in Vancouver is a debatable topic to discuss as it promotes the process of gentrification to the interested individual. The geographic location of Vancouver helps this place to become an important transportation hub in Canada as it connects the locations of Western Canada to Orient (Grube-Cavers & Patterson, 2014). This particular discourse will concentrate on the gentrification in the Downtown Eastside, which is closely linked with the low-income population in Vancouver BC of Canada. This study will also explain the positive and negative impact because of gentrification, which can be measured and evaluated from various different aspects of the society. The detailed discussion on this specific topic will help to get a thorough and detailed knowledge on the gentrification in Vancouver and several impacts on the inhabitants of Canada and the economic condition.

Several areas of Vancouver have been enriched with essential raw materials that can lead towards a budding manufacturing industry in Canada that can enhance the present economic condition of the nation in the competitive economic business world. The sudden transformation of Downtown Eastside of Vancouver has been marked by arrival of the trendy and contemporary cafes, high-priced salons and upscale grocery stores from maze of buildings towards notorious intersection of Hastings and Main of the city. The Downtown Eastside can be considered as a neighbourhood, which is best known for a series of grim and clichés news stories. On the other hand, this particular location is considered as the poorest postal code of Canada as the gritty alleys and streets are strewn with a vast story of addiction and poverty. The gentrification completely changes the functions of the provincial government, development of the city council of Vancouver for rejuvenating thrive of the inhabitants for supporting a fair social housing in affordable prices. Burnett (2014) has argued that the gentrification may completely changes the economic condition of Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, however, the low-income inhabitants of Vancouver has feared that the gentrification may bring a system in the stores, which is beyond their reach. Even the gentrification pushes the low-income residents towards the affordable rental units and products. As Downtown Eastside of Vancouver possesses very large population from low-income group, therefore the society developers always intend to upscale the every level of the neighbourhood.

The activists and the neighbourhood council in Downtown Eastside pushes for building condos and for attracting completely new business to the city, which can be concerned as harmful gentrification. The argument of gentrification involves the gradual increment of the standard and cost of living of the inhabitants and displace for the low-income inhabitants, who lives for years in the city. From various aspects, it has been clearly shown that gentrification possess both positive and negative impact on the society of Canada influencing the economic condition in huge manner. The debate regarding gentrification explains the process of help to the inhabitants of Vancouver behind any kind of existing statistics in the society. Gentrification promotes and supports the new restaurants and stores all over the city for enhancing the lifestyle of the inhabitants in order to reach to the low-income population. Lees et al. (2013) have pointed out that the retail outlets and stores, for instances the drug stores and grocery markets in Vancouver can sustain in better manner than the previous one only because of the implication of gentrification in Downtown Eastside for serving every inhabitants of the city without considering their economic position in the society. The society of Canada implies this change as gentrification, whereas, the society developers mention it as an essential lifeline as this is the only significant way of keeping an area alive as it does not possess the capability to work in otherwise manner.  On the other hand, the housing activists of Downtown Eastside have identified a modest enhancement for the social housing units, which will be offset because of sudden impact of gentrification. According to Hyde (2014), the higher property values for fuel, rent has been increased at the hotels of single-room occupancy and other existing housing complex for the people of low-income. Even the impacts of gentrification are easy to observe in the society and it concerns the accusation. However, the society developers have understood that gentrification is not a bad thing if implemented in proper manner. There is nothing wrong with the condition of low-income people as they belong to the intermixed community.

Positive impacts of gentrification in Downtown Eastside

Lees (2012) has contradicted with this above-mentioned statement and has stated that gentrification possess the capacity of putting every inhabitants of the society in single place and putting a fence surrounding it. Gentrification in Downtown Eastside involves a process of rebuilding and renewing the basic influx of the affluent inhabitants of Vancouver, who are into the deteriorating areas, which are displaced by the low-income residents. However, there are certain debates regarding the necessity of gentrification in the major cities across the USA during 1970s. As opined by Oulahen et al. (2015), consensus is the significant segment, which determines the gentrification that can shape the physical and social aspects of the neighbourhood. The scholars have agreed that the process of gentrified neighbourhood should be identified and evaluated in systematic manner. Gentrification in the Downtown Eastside was measured and evaluated in various existing ways that are immensely influenced in the neighbourhood studies and researches, which can assess the necessity of gentrification for neighbourhood outcomes in potential manner. Gentrification in Downtown Eastside has been attempted for revitalising the city, which has fallen on hard times. This process has observed a vast success as it completely transforms the traditional struggling cities like Vancouver and it determines the gradual development in the economic condition of the low-income people. Smith and Williams (2013) have mentioned that there are various reasons that are responsible for gentrifications, which has been concerned as an attractive redevelopment strategy for the low-income group of a city. The geographical area plays an important role for gentrification in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver as  this city possess a large number of working class people rather than the other cities of Canada. In the modern era of socialisation, America encounters with a huge crisis regarding the class divisions and income inequality. However, the politicians, business executives, cultural and social leaders possess completely different viewpoint regarding the gentrification in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver as these personalities hold the actual position in the city for justifying a further investment in the problems related to gentrification. These programmes always concern the economic condition of the low-income inhabitants of the city.

As commented by Walia and Diewert (2012), the transformations in compositions of the local elites of Vancouver favour of using subsidised real estate projects, which are aimed for gentrification. On the other hand, the market forces can be sustained in appropriate manner only because of the impact of gentrification and the overall policies to change the development process. In order to determine the alignment of the multiple incentives and the lack of proven and traditional alternative models, there are universal choices for Vancouver for redevelopment of the society. However, there are several arguments related to the implication of appropriate gentrification model in Downtown Eastside of Vancouver for producing any kind of benefits in order to lower down the economic ladder. The imperative decisions involve the leaders and urban thinkers, who intend to search suitable models for denoting the success and benefits of the society (Fynes, 2013). Gentrification in the Downtown Eastside concern the city, people and the children as it clearly transforms the standard and cost of living of the inhabitants of this particular area. Downtown Eastside is situated in the middle of the city of Vancouver and this specific area has been threatened with the eco-gentrification procedure because of the local area plan in recent days. Once this particular location of Vancouver was the heart of constant improvement that was predominantly occupied by the sudden growth of the retail stores, restaurants, bars and outlets. Kluckner (2013) has mentioned that the proposed developments in Downtown Eastside have been altered by the dynamics of neighbourhood through a gentrification process, which will be concentrated on this exhibit. The present background of Eastside Downtown Vancouver reveals the fact that the gentrification procedure causes a sustainable development. On the other hand, the arguments regarding this specific process include relations in between various aspects of ecological rationality, as it is closely associated with the production of various injustices for economically and politically vulnerable inhabitants and the environmental ethics (Fynes, 2013).

The gentrification process in the Downtown Eastside Vancouver proposes an affordable housing practice that can force the low-income people as they live in an uncomfortable situation since several years. Gentrification process is not specified to the Vancouver area as this particular city may be experienced this process from other practices and the experiences across the world. A very good example can be considered of High Line, which is located in New York City. According to Lees (2012) gentrifications helps a city to develop its projects in order to offer an affordable and comfortable place to live for the low-income groups of the city. The bad things of gentrification suggest the minimising of this process for protecting the existing inhabitants from being priced out by the developers. On the other hand, the good things of the gentrification of Downtown Eastside imply the enhancement of the green space and the new technologies, which bring the environmental justice. Another negative impact of gentrification suggests the displacement of the low-income residents of Vancouver. Even it can affect the smaller projects in the city for social development in gradual process. The gradual development of the neighbourhoods, which are predominantly occupied by the low-income people of a particular area that is based on established concepts resulted after the gentrification process.

Conclusion

This particular discourse clearly explains the gentrification in the Downtown Eastside, which is concerned with the low-income population in Vancouver BC, Canada. Both the positive and negative impact of the gentrification process has been discussed in detailed manner. The researches on gentrification also help to understand the requirement of gentrification for further development society in this modern economic world. This discourse explains the gentrification process, which works closely with the existing community for providing a better place for the low-income inhabitants of Downtown Eastside. The changes because of the gentrification may contribute to the dissatisfaction of the present population of that particular area because of the increased vulnerability and as a result, gentrification helps the city for sustainable development.

References

Burnett, K. (2014). Commodifying poverty: gentrification and consumption in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Urban Geography, 35(2), 157-176.

Fynes, B. (2013). Gentrification in Vancouver: Displacing the East End. Canadian Studies Undergraduate Journal, 14, 9-17.

Grube-Cavers, A., & Patterson, Z. (2014). Urban rapid rail transit and gentrification in Canadian urban centres: A survival analysis approach. Urban Studies, 0042098014524287.

Hyde, Z. (2014). Omnivorous gentrification: Restaurant reviews and neighborhood change in the downtown Eastside of Vancouver. City & Community, 13(4), 341-359.

Kluckner, M. (2013). A Brief History of Gentrification in Vancouver.

Lees, L. (2012). The geography of gentrification Thinking through comparative urbanism. Progress in Human Geography, 36(2), 155-171.

Lees, L., Slater, T., & Wyly, E. (2013). Gentrification. Routledge.

Oulahen, G., Mortsch, L., Tang, K., & Harford, D. (2015). Unequal vulnerability to flood hazards:“Ground truthing” a social vulnerability index of five municipalities in metro Vancouver, Canada. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 105(3), 473-495.

Smith, N., & Williams, P. (2013). Gentrification of the City. Routledge.

Walia, H., & Diewert, D. (2012). Moving on up: Gentrification in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Rabble. ca.