Day: October 20, 2003

Gentrification & me, issue 5

Posted a lecture (I won’t be able to get to because of a conflict in my schedule) titled “Housing Needs for the City and Region: Does the superheated housing market in Logan Circle contribute to concentrated poverty in Ivy City?” Wish I could go because it sounds silly (not to belittle anyone’s research) to me. This is a metro area, so the poor are not limited to Ivy City. There are perfectly good neighborhoods in PG County. What I gather she may mean is there are fewer neighborhoods for low income folks to relocate to so there is greater concentration in neighborhoods they can afford.

Yet I looked at some of her earlier research and there seems to be a lot of focus on neighborhoods that are predominately white and adjacent to predominately white neighborhoods. Another problem as mentioned in the report was high mobility rates of 62 percent for the District.

I’m wonder if the cure is as bad as the disease. On one hand you have low investment in areas, the housing stock is allowed to deteriorate (to the point of no return) and a negative growth rate for the District. When an area looks attractive profit-wise and investors invest, and people find it worthwhile to restore the housing stock, it becomes unaffordable to lower income families. Another problem I have is the income level. It treats a single mom making $30K the same way as a family of four. A household could be 1,2, 3, 4 persons. Income of $30,000 and one person, you could live in a Dupont studio apartment. The same amount for that single mom, doesn’t go as far, maybe a 1 bedroom in Brookline or the apartments at Mt. Vernon Sq. Same income for a family of four… I have no clue what you can do with that. Also the 25% of your income going to housing does not apply. For me it never applied, it was more like 40%-50% of my income going to housing.

Housing Needs for the City and Region:

Does the superheated housing market in Logan Circle contribute to

concentrated poverty in Ivy City?

A discussion with Margery Turner, Urban Institute

October 21, 2003

John A. Wilson Building

1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Room 412

6:30 pm, Refreshments; 7 pm, Program

A new study led by Margery Turner shows a troubling trend in the rise in

concentrated poverty in certain D.C. neighborhoods. Evidence suggests that

displacement of poor families from strong housing markets in neighborhoods

like Logan Circle might contribute to the concentration of poverty in

neighborhoods like Ivy City. What are the implications of these trends for

housing policy in the City and region? Join us for a discussion with

Margery Turner as she presents her findings and considers strategies to

address current challenges. See Housing in the Nation’s Capital 2003,

prepared by the Urban Institute for the Fannie Mae Foundation at:

http://www.fanniemaefoundation.org/publications/reports/hnc/2003/hnc2003.sht

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This effort builds on Ms. Turner’s earlier analysis on gentrification, and

how its negative consequences can be avoided if affordable housing is

preserved in areas facing high demand for homeownership. See: Leading

Indicators of Gentrification in D.C. Neighborhoods,

http://www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=900461

RSVP (attendance only): WRN, 202/667-5445, or e-mail:

staff@washingtonregion.net. This event is free of charge. For more about

WRN, see: www.washingtonregion.net

__________________________________________________

This event is second in a series of four on Housing for the City presented

by the Washington Regional Network for Livable Communities (WRN). The Fall

2003 WRN Forum Series: Housing for the City focuses on the critical issue of

affordable housing in the District of Columbia. The Washington Regional

Network for Livable Communities’ Forum program engages activists,

decision-makers, and business leaders in discussions of state-of-the-art

practices for accommodating regional growth and creating diverse, livable

communities.

This series is sponsored by the Enterprise Foundation and the Fannie Mae

Foundation

Ghetto Marts

Yes, it is confirmed that the new little mom & pop is a ghetto mart. This is how the definitions go:

Quickie Mart- 7-11 or something like that. Prices high, selection low. Must have aisles, must have essentials like TP, milk, eggs, coffee or other hot food item, and mac & cheese.

Ghetto Mart- similar to the quickie mart, except it has one or several of the following traits: a fine varied selection of 40s; cashier in a plastic box to prevent any human contact; dark store with bad lighting.

The new store has the people in the plastic box. But they have eggs and milk so I will likely wander over despite the insulting people in a box set up.

Yes, I have a problem with the plastic box. I understand the plastic box, but I hate the plastic box. What I hate even more is plastic box with lazy susan feature, to take out all human contact. Such features run against my image of the neighborhood. The plastic box, along with the selection of 40s screams GHETTO. The plastic box say, I don’t trust none of you and this is a bad neighborhood. The 40s, say you just want to get drunk real quick, bunch of alcoholics.

October 20, 2003 — Garden Resources of Washington announces —

SPRING-BLOOMING BULBS ARE AVAILABLE FOR COMMUNITY & YOUTH GARDENING PROJECTS IN WASHINGTON, DC

What kind of bulbs? A mix of daffodils, tulips, crocuses, etc.

How many can we have? Depends upon the area you plan to plant.

When should they be planted? As soon as possible.

When will they bloom? At different bloom times, ranging from early March to late May.

Who can get bulbs? Groups engaging neighbors, youth, adults, club members, etc. in community & youth garden projects at diverse locations such as: parks, schools, community facilities, nursing homes, public housing, etc. These can be located in any part of the city, but priority will be given to projects located on Capitol Hill and projects benefitting low-income city residents.

How do we get the bulbs? Contact GROW (see details below) to place a request and to set up an appointment for bulb pickup.

How do we plant bulbs? GROW will provide easy to follow soil preparation and planting instructions.

What if we don’t have funds for soil preparation or tools? GROW may be able to provide these materials. Contact GROW (see details below) for simple application information on getting this extra help.

How to contact GROW: E-mail grow19@aol.com or call 202-234-0591 (don’t stop by the office; the bulbs are not there!)