Gentrification will save Baltimore City from itself

[Anonymous]

Unpopular opinion, but its the truth.

[Anonymous]

There has to be a reason for a city to become gentrified.

There's no reason for upper middle-class white people with disposable income to move to Baltimore. There just isn't any.

The same conditions that exist in DC, and enable and encourage gentrification in DC, don't exist in Baltimore.

There are zero high-paying government jobs, or private-sector Government contract jobs, in Baltimore. No one is going to move to a city just so they can be an hour away from the other city they work in.

[Anonymous]

in Baltimore gentrification could proceed without displacement, due to lots of vacant land and buildings.

But it seems that in recent years most gentrification has focused on formerly working class white areas such as Locust Point, Hampden, Brewers Hill, etc.

It seems to have stalled out in african american areas,like Hollins Market, near Charles Village, west of Patterson Park, etc.

Has Baltimore exhausted the supply of easily transformable areas? Is there sufficient demand to transform the harder areas?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: There has to be a reason for a city to become gentrified.

There's no reason for upper middle-class white people with disposable income to move to Baltimore. There just isn't any.

The same conditions that exist in DC, and enable and encourage gentrification in DC, don't exist in Baltimore.

There are zero high-paying government jobs, or private-sector Government contract jobs, in Baltimore. No one is going to move to a city just so they can be an hour away from the other city they work in.

My sense is that there are still a fair number of people who commute from the suburbs of Baltimore into the city - working at Hopkins, in biotech, for UA, etc.

Also if you aren't working IN DC, but in locations in between, the commute might make sense for someone wanting an urban lifestyle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:in Baltimore gentrification could proceed without displacement

Displacement is crucial for successful end-stage gentrification

The people willing to pay $400,000 for a painted lady (google it) with no parking or a 5,000 sq ft warehouse loft space don't want to live amongst the original population. They want to be surrounded by people like them, not by hoodrats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:in Baltimore gentrification could proceed without displacement, due to lots of vacant land and buildings.

But it seems that in recent years most gentrification has focused on formerly working class white areas such as Locust Point, Hampden, Brewers Hill, etc.

It seems to have stalled out in african american areas,like Hollins Market, near Charles Village, west of Patterson Park, etc.

Has Baltimore exhausted the supply of easily transformable areas? Is there sufficient demand to transform the harder areas?

You do realize that all that vacant land exists because (poor, black) people already were displaced.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:in Baltimore gentrification could proceed without displacement, due to lots of vacant land and buildings.

But it seems that in recent years most gentrification has focused on formerly working class white areas such as Locust Point, Hampden, Brewers Hill, etc.

It seems to have stalled out in african american areas,like Hollins Market, near Charles Village, west of Patterson Park, etc.

Has Baltimore exhausted the supply of easily transformable areas? Is there sufficient demand to transform the harder areas?

You do realize that all that vacant land exists because (poor, black) people already were displaced.

huh? No they moved on because the buildings weren't maintained or they didn't have the money to maintain. Or they moved because schools were bad or crime too high.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:in Baltimore gentrification could proceed without displacement, due to lots of vacant land and buildings.

But it seems that in recent years most gentrification has focused on formerly working class white areas such as Locust Point, Hampden, Brewers Hill, etc.

It seems to have stalled out in african american areas,like Hollins Market, near Charles Village, west of Patterson Park, etc.

Has Baltimore exhausted the supply of easily transformable areas? Is there sufficient demand to transform the harder areas?

You do realize that all that vacant land exists because (poor, black) people already were displaced.

If you define displacement as people leaving for any reason. I meant displacement by gentrification. The places with all the vacant land and houses have not experienced gentrification.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:in Baltimore gentrification could proceed without displacement

Displacement is crucial for successful end-stage gentrification

The people willing to pay $400,000 for a painted lady (google it) with no parking or a 5,000 sq ft warehouse loft space don't want to live amongst the original population. They want to be surrounded by people like them, not by hoodrats.

This sounds like trolling to me. And of course the experience in DC, Alexandria, NYC, etc is quite different.

[Anonymous]

The fact of the matter is that gentrifying Baltimore will make the city much more competitive. Not trying to be racist, but the city decayed the minute it elected a black Mayor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The fact of the matter is that gentrifying Baltimore will make the city much more competitive. Not trying to be racist, but the city decayed the minute it elected a black Mayor.

Dude - if you not trying to be racist then simply specify which mayor brought about the decay. Baltimore's had a few black mayors you know, so your comment is vague and subsequently sounds racist.
Who are you talking about?
Kurt Schmoke?
Sheila Dixon?
Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake?
Catherine E. Pugh?

[Anonymous]

I work in Baltimore City but live in the suburbs because DH works in DC. We split the commute. We debated living in Baltimore and having him commute to DC, but Baltimore's public transportation meant we'd still need to own 2 cars, and given the areas we could afford decided it was just easier to live in the suburbs. Baltimore City really needs to improve its public transportation system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I work in Baltimore City but live in the suburbs because DH works in DC. We split the commute. We debated living in Baltimore and having him commute to DC, but Baltimore's public transportation meant we'd still need to own 2 cars, and given the areas we could afford decided it was just easier to live in the suburbs. Baltimore City really needs to improve its public transportation system.

The Metro Subway is America's sorriest excuse for a subway. Nobody knows it exists and it goes virtually nowhere. Good luck convincing Annapolis and Hogan to invest money in Baltimore City transportation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The fact of the matter is that gentrifying Baltimore will make the city much more competitive. Not trying to be racist, but the city decayed the minute it elected a black Mayor.

Dude - if you not trying to be racist then simply specify which mayor brought about the decay. Baltimore's had a few black mayors you know, so your comment is vague and subsequently sounds racist.
Who are you talking about?
Kurt Schmoke?
Sheila Dixon?
Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake?
Catherine E. Pugh?

I apologize for this. I will say that both Dixon and Rawlings-Blake have done a terrible job for the city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: There has to be a reason for a city to become gentrified.

There's no reason for upper middle-class white people with disposable income to move to Baltimore. There just isn't any.

The same conditions that exist in DC, and enable and encourage gentrification in DC, don't exist in Baltimore.

There are zero high-paying government jobs, or private-sector Government contract jobs, in Baltimore. No one is going to move to a city just so they can be an hour away from the other city they work in.

Exactly, there are more jobs in the baltimore suburbs and better services, including schools. City property taxes are double the surrounding counties and crime is out of control since Freddie Gray. Now the city can not be afford to adequately fund the already deficient schools and police (extremely understaffed due to post Gray surge in early retirements). Mosby has been a total disaster. The city has been has not been well managed since Schaeffer left.