Comment 39208

By Kiely (registered) | Posted March 27, 2010 at 15:39:10

Hmm??? Interesting article from someone who said this in response to me daring to question the perceived value of bike lanes:

"That's garden variety magical thinking, not to mention empirically false." - Ryan

I didn't see much effort to find common ground in that statement Ryan.

But I digress, I did enjoy this article. Gentrification is a difficult subject with the word itself having both positive and negative connotations depending on your outlook. Your statement about rather dealing with property values increasing than decreasing is how I look at it as well. But when the cards seem stacked against those that are being displaced, because frankly it is easier to displace the poor than it is to deal with them being displaced and there are few to no programs in place to deal with the negatives of gentrification, it becomes a very ugly debate. As you obviously witnessed firsthand Ryan.

Society must respond to and help eliminate poverty but you must be careful that doesn't become pandering to poverty. Unfortunately, the problems of poverty may only be solved by an increase in government social engineering that many people may be uncomfortable with and is unlikely to happen in a society drifting right not left. So, I understand many people seeing gentrification as a major negative. How can we make gentrification be both a positive transformation to the buildings and infrastructure as well as the people of a neighbourhood? That needs to be the discussion and entrenched positions at polar extremes are never going to answer that question.

Great discussion to get started Ryan!

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