Question

Why is it important for government officials to pay attention to the impacts of gentrification on the urban poor?

Answer 1

Gentrification is the process of renovation of deteriorated urban neighbourhoods due to the influx of affluent residents in the locality. It is considered to be a very sensitive and controversial topic amongst politicians and urban planners.

It is important for government officials to pay attention to the impacts of gentrification on the urban poor because the government officials are kept in place to check no citizen's right is hampered under any circumstances.

Gentrification brings destruction of the homes and neighbourhoods of the poor and they are not in a situation to shift to some other place due to many constraints such a financial issues or they have set up their business in the locality and moving from that place will incur them losses which they cannot overcome.

Gentrification is about much more than housing, in 1964 when Ruth Glass coined the term she noted that post war London has seen the rise in the middle class i the city and other communities which were considered to be of lower class were forced to leave the city. The city became unaffordable for them and they were not able to survive in the income they are earning.

This needs to be understood the Gentrification not only changes and area into new modern houses ad multi story buildings but it also destroys the urban poor class and their culture. By no means should it be understood that only the upper class or upper middle class has the right to live in the city and the urban poor must be left out to look for themselves.

The government officials need to ask question that do increased city services for gentrifiers imply reduced services for the poor. And is this the reason they have become government officers for? The answer will be definitely no, the diversity is the beauty of any city or nation and the rich and poor class co-exist together. Gentrification should not be allowed on the cost of dislocating the urban poor and this duty lies on the government officials to take care of all the citizens living in a city.

Since government officials are the one who makes the plan or report on the requirement of Gentrification or they implement such policies it is extremely important for them to take care of the rights of the urban poor and look for their well-being.