Gentrification is a recent trend that seems to take place in urban neighborhoods. This controversial occurrence consists of a displacing of low-income families and businesses by wealthy residents and businesses. This results in a loss of culture and tradition, but an increased attraction and lower crime rate. The difficulty in this topic is that on a personal level I can agree with both sides on the issue. I feel terrible knowing how much history I would be destroying if I tore down every house on Meyren. However, I would feel at ease knowing that the residents of these new houses wouldn’t have to deal with: no air conditioning, creaky steps, faulty appliances, disgusting interior, etc. I guess the deciding factor for my feelings of revamping vs. preserving solely depends on my relationship with the location. When it comes to South Oakland, I can’t think of any reasons not to create a healthier and happier environment. Although the idea of gentrification seems to be troubling to most, the early developing stages happening in Pittsburgh don’t seem to bother me.

In South Oakland, I would promote the idea of gentrification via digital media. For land developers and landlords, I see the most beneficial way of communicating my point through a website. Because I am looking to inform and persuade these people in favor of gentrification, I see a visual example of a recently gentrified area as a positive way of introducing the topic. From here, I would need to provide heavy amounts of research and information about why South Oakland would benefit from re-vamping. The reason I chose a website to communicate with these specific people is because it allows a hefty amount of information to be available at all times. Furthermore, gentrification is an evolving topic. A website allows for the addition/subtraction of relevant info.