In Mexico City a few weeks ago, there was a riot protesting gentrification in the streets of the Polanco and Condesa neighborhoods next to the American Embassy. Things got so bad that, when asked in a press conference, Mexico’s President Sheinbaum indicated that marching and demonstrating on this issue was acceptable, but violence was not a solution.
This reminded me of the issues here being raised by many voices in the first part of the 21st Century. At that time, Denver was becoming the most gentrified city in America.
A very visible image of this was the erection of apartment buildings in place of the homes that had been an integral part of neighborhoods and their history. Developers would buy a couple of properties next to each other and then build a residential building in their place, sometimes with little regard to the parking needs of its new residents.
Another visible sign of the new covenant living was the renaming of the neighborhoods either to old names or new sounding identities. One of the hardest hit in this regard was 5 Points that had its name changed to River North as a better expression for the newcomers.
The Latino North Side also underwent a change back to old pieces of neighborhoods names like Highlands Park. The world had turned upside down as a place with deep sense of cultural identity was being destroyed not only in its infrastructure but also in name.
The 1985 earthquake that destroyed so many building in downtown Mexico City offered redeveloping opportunities for private investors in a time when politics was about the rich. Carlos Slim who, at one time, was the wealthiest man in the world, took on the challenge of rebuilding Mexico City’s central district with great results.
The downside at the time was that the poor people who lived in the urban center were dislocated and had to flee to the outskirts of the city and built informal shelters. The gentrification of the downtown area that had been abandoned in years past by the well-to-do who now lived in wealthy suburban neighborhoods now had another option for their families and businesses.
That is the unspoken tragedy of Denver’s urban living. There was a time when those that could afford it went to live in the suburbs as a way of bettering the lives.
Those that couldn’t stayed in the city. Then, gentrification forced the dislocation of many of them.
The city leadership welcomed the newcomers and the great increase in tax base they represent. The effort to create housing for them represents another tragedy of major proportions.
In the place of old homes with their own kind of beauty, the city approved the building of things that resemble squeezed townhouses. They are like one box over another with a door, no yard and sometimes no place to park a car other than on the street.
I have passed by the many of these buildings filled with young people making their way through their professional lives that may or may not keep them in Denver. I wonder what will happen when they abandon the flimsy housing in favor of a more traditional home someplace else.
I wonder what is going to happen to these places when they get rundown and need repair that no one is willing to take on not even as an investment. In my mind, these buildings represent the makings of a future ghetto that will make Denver something it has never been.
The views expressed by David Conde are not necessarily the views of LaVozColorado. Comments and responses may be directed to News@lavozcolorado.com.
