In terms of housing on the scale of neighborhoods, Smith’s ideas on gentrification paints a simultaneous mental renovation of a given area (Lower East Side being transformed into East Village) and marginalization of a disadvantaged group. The urban frontier mentality is driven by the greed of the real estate industry as they “smooth [the city] of its class and race contours” [1]. But when something is smoothed over, the excess needs to go somewhere. Robert Moses has demonstrated the ways in which the city is a shapeshifting microcosm, a place of accelerated evolution. The destructibility of physical structures is common and often necessary from at least one person’s point of view, but emotional geography and spatial-cultural history is an intangible beast to plow over.
I think there is a new mental mobility developing in urban folk — the nature of attachment is shifting along with its context. While it may be inevitable that neighborhoods will change, to promote the common good there must be a new space constructed for the displaced, and not space that is worse off or marginalized. Smith describes how the “terrain of inner city is valuable again, perversely profitable” [1] Smarting housing policy should be applied to the processes of reorganisation, in providing deserved compensation to those people. The difficulty here is that no one subtracts social costs from their profits. It is difficult and inevitably biased to quantify these costs, but the best basis to attempt it is the voice of the displaced. They may be offered money, but they are not offered the options, security and guidance they need if they are to be uprooted. Money can often be a bandage applied to a wound someone does not want to see.
In the first place, no, the Lower East Side should not have been subjected to gentrification that eventually wiped the neighborhood name off the map. They have their right to place. The juxtaposition of the Lower East Side to Greenwich Village — the edge between them acting as a source of friction — helped to preserve their history, visibility and identity by maintaining a geographic contrast.
Munjoy Hill was described in a Washington Post article as formerly “a onetime tent city” when Portland burned down in 1866, and a “blue-collar enclave” [2]. Now it is a neighborhood dotted with venues and coffeehouses, lavishly described in the article as a base for accessing the foodie thrills and homeware shops of Old Port and the Eastern Promenade — a clear advertisement for attracting young professionals to Portland. Avesta Housing, the developers responsible for building the new condominiums in Munjoy Hill are “pushing the boundaries of affordability” [3]. However one might want to take this, what sorts of options are left to the working class? I found a list of subsidized housing in Portland, and Avesta Housing has also worked to create spaces such as Bayside East (rent restricted housing for 55+ citizens), Butler Payson (income based rent for 62+ and disabled), Deering Place (rent restricted for families), Munjoy Commons (rent restricted), etc. [4]
See the list here: http://www.mainehousing.org/programs-services/rental/subsidized-housing
There is more research to be done on my part in terms of the economic side of things, but perhaps these projects can funnel more money into providing housing and programs for those who cannot even afford income based rent, and strengthening the projects already in place. The Portland Housing Authority offers Housing Choice Vouchers, which allow the disadvantaged choice in where they would like to live, and not just in subsidized housing projects [5]. At Logan House and Florence House, “Preble Street provides 24-hour support services to monitor the stability of residents, provide crisis intervention and conflict management as needed, and to assist residents in developing and enhancing life skills necessary to succeed in permanent housing” [6]. Florence House is a $7.9 million haven built through a collaboration between Preble Street and Avesta Housing to house up to fifty homeless women [7] .
[1] Smith, Neil. 2014 [1996]. “‘Class Struggle on Avenue B’: The Lower East Side as the Wild Wild West.” In The People, Place and Space Reader, edited by Jen Jack Gieseking, et al, 314-319. New York: Routledge, 2014.
[2] Talcott, Christina. “In Portland’s Munjoy Hill, Do as the Mainers Do.” Washington Post. The Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2009. Web. 06 Oct. 2014.
[3] “Portland Housing Developers Struggle to Meet Market Needs.” Mainebiz. Mainebiz, 20 Feb. 2012. Web. 6 Oct. 2014.
[4] “Subsidized Housing.” Subsidized Housing. Maine State Housing Authority, n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2014. <http://www.mainehousing.org/programs-services/rental/subsidized-housing>.
[5] “Housing Choice Voucher.” Portland Housing Authority, n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2014. <http://porthouse.org/section8/housing_choice_voucher.html>.
[6] “Welcome to the Portland Housing Authority.” Portland Housing Authority, n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2014. <http://porthouse.org/section8/project_based_vouchers_proj.html>.
[7] Richardson, John. “Florence House to Open Doors for Homeless Women – The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram.” The Portland Press Herald Maine Sunday Telegram Florence House to Open Doors for Homeless Women Comments. Portland Press Herald, 05 Apr. 2010. Web. 06 Oct. 2014.