Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
The five senses of gentrification
"Lines around the block at trendy restaurants compete with even more crowds at pop-ups and events that spill over into the street outside of hip bars and wine shops ... outsiders ... who cannot seem to comprehend that the sidewalk on which they stand exists to service people other than them. Their blank stares or complete lack of acknowledgement when someone is trying to pass by them without stepping into the street perfectly captures the “feeling” of gentrification: that all of this newness, good or bad, beautiful or boring, will quickly, wilfully, crowd out the people, cultures, and histories that made this neighbourhood such a desirable place for investors, restaurateurs, and upwardly mobile transplants to begin with."
This article is about LA but reading it there are parallels here in London, including in our borough. https://makinganeighborhood.substack.com/p/the-five-senses-of-gentr...
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Livi on
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Yes, restaurants and bars need to ensure that their tables, chairs and patrons do not block the pavements and that is the Council's job to enforce. However, these are not new problems and do not really detract from the benefits of gentrification. Haringey is one of the most deprived boroughs in the country (without the affluent western parts to bring up the average it would be third world standard). We need gentrification of a sympathetic kind. See what happened to the Ladder. People with higher expectations and disposable incomes moved in. This led to improvements in school performance, better shops, less anti social behaviour and cleaner streets (albeit still not clean by objective standards). I remember when it was like what Tottenham is now.
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What you say fits with what the article says about the "social cleansing" perspective behind gentrification.
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Permalink Reply by Rosamund Tomlins on
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I would want my area (Tottenham) rid of criminals, exploitative casual labour sources (including brothels), & drug dealers - & encourage alternative & aspirational aspects of living for their victims. It seems it's difficult to do that without it being called social cleansing - which then ends up as a term supposedly looking for equality but actually representing the undesirables - & that ultimately serves the exploiters, keeping certain unfortunate people in their place, & ignored.
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Even the most parochial of residents and the most conspicuous of virtue know that really isn't true.
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You seem happy that wealthy people can price out locals and seem to find pleasure in denigrating working class people.
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Not at all. I'm keen for sensitive gentrification whereby all residents enjoy a better environment. It's not fair that people in a first world country have to live as they do in some parts of Haringey. Gentification seems to be the only way to achieve that improvement. The council is never going to do it (or they would have done it by now).
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They are buying from locals who want to move. Would you stop those locals selling?
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Try watching the Channel 4 documentary featuring the Northumberland Park estate - that is not "fine" for anyone.
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Several people from that estate have commented, on F. book, that they don't recognise where they live from that programme.
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Permalink Reply by Sarah on
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Laurence Road was covered in police tape for four days this week. Now it's Beaconsfield Road's turn
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Yes, some issue seems to resulted in a chap from the nearby takeaway being stabbed at the top of Lawrence Rd. He's in intensive care.
However most people in that particular neighbourhood aren't brawling hoodlums.
It only takes 1 unwise collaboration between 2 people to set off violence but it's rare that these sorts of incidents are random, there's usually a connection.
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