Gentrification

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

Hey All,

Posting this as it came up for me in a previous post that was sort of an amalgam of "eccentric and annoying Davis Square traits."

I realize this is a hot-button issue but I trust that people can express themselves civilly. Ok, I *hope* we can.

Gentrification. It's a big deal. People in this community talk an awful lot about how we don't want Davis to "turn into another Harvard" but in some sense the people living there now and who have populated the square over the past decade *have* turned Davis into something different from what it was.

How does one say, "I don't want Davis Square to get too gentrified" without taking responsibility for being part of the gentrification that has happened thus far? Who decides how much gentrification is too much, not enough, just right?

Maybe Davis is better, maybe it's not -- it probably depends on who you ask and what they were looking for in a neighborhood when they picked Davis.

Comments

[danger-chick.livejournal.com]

I lived in Davis for years before moving to NM. The town I live in NM is very anti-chain. The chamber of commerce and the city council run out the chains. They just let a starbucks in about two years ago, which was a pretty big deal. I think they caved, since there are few places open past 7 pm in the non-summer months and it seems like no one else wanted to start a coffee shop.

All of this is a double-edged sword, though. It's nice to support local businesses, but it sucks to constantly pay more. The nearest Target is a 45-60 minute drive away, so sometimes there doesn't feel like the only choice is to suck it up and pay.

[jadelennox]

Though that increases the standard of living for the town as a whole, since local businesses in general will mean more money staying in the community. It hurts in the small, but helps in the big.

[danger-chick.livejournal.com]

I think it might actually be a toss up. I am not certain there is any real money in this community. The federal government pays for most of the town. Most of us work for the feds to start off with and given a huge land crunch the feds have had to step in to do stuff that property taxes should do. This place is not really your average town.

I think what keeps me spending the gas money to get to Target and all of the other stores 45 minutes away is that options we do have for local businesses are severely constrained ("downtown" is two blocks by one block) and exceptionally overpriced ($5 for a box of cereal, $5 for a box of Boca Burgers). After awhile, you get so pissed standing in line to pay $4 for a tub of yogurt that you are willing to drive.

[hauntmeister.livejournal.com]

There are a lot of unsupported assertions in this post, and they may not be all accurate. I'm especially curious about your assumptions about the role of the federal government in Somerville.

In other news, there's a Target at 180 Somerville Ave, just outside Union Square. (It surprised me, too!) If your car takes 45 minutes to get there, you have a very slow car. ;-)

[danger-chick.livejournal.com]

I think you missed the part of my comment that said that I lived in Davis Square for many years before moving to NM. The place I live in NM is heavily subsidized by the feds. I was merely talking about my experience currently living in a community without chain stores.

[hauntmeister.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the clarification.
In that light, if your car can make it to Target on Somerville in 45 minutes, you have a very fast car! ;-)

[danger-chick.livejournal.com]

I really wish that I could get there that fast! Then maybe I could visit my bf more than once every 2-3 months.

[ocschwar.livejournal.com]

Hrmm. Would this be the mesa-top town with more Chinese and other Asian food places than fast food joints, where every road into town crosses a rez, and where one can find bird's nests made of paper shreddings?

[danger-chick.livejournal.com]

I don't know about the bird's nests, but the rest is right.

[danger-chick.livejournal.com]

You know it occurred to me just now that the real answer to this statement is "I would support local business more, if I could get what I wanted here without the price gouging."

[hauntmeister.livejournal.com]

There's actually a Target near Union Square, just off McGrath-O'Brien.
180 Somerville Ave. Just head down Highland Av and veer right.