Harlem began to see rapid gentrification in the late 1990s. Ever since the beginning of gentrification, Harlem has fallen victim to gentrification greatly.

This image shows us the picture of a part of Harlem in 1978 and a picture of the same place in 2015. According to this image, we can clearly see the difference gentrification is making on Harlem. Now, many will argue that gentrification is bringing positive changes by saying that it is helping the economy to grow at a faster rate by increasing the rental price. Yes, that is non arguably true however, we need to look at the consequences of gentrification. We have to accept the fact that hundreds of families are being forced out of their houses and hundreds of small businesses are being shut down, how will these people get back on their feet? I personally believe that gentrification is a nightmare for the poor and an amazing opportunity for the rich to invest more in. Gentrification could be seen as a good thing if it was fair enough for everyone equally and not just favoring the rich. Yes, renovating buildings and making them better is a great thing but we need to make sure that part of that building is given to the people that were already living there instead of just increasing the rental price dramatically.

Gentrification is not only taking over big cities but it is also taking over small areas within cities. I have been living in the Bronx for almost seven years now and I have experienced gentrification on my own as well. In 2013, when I first moved to the US, the rental price of a two bedroom house was about $1100. However, currently a well fitted two bedroom house/apartment will cost you about $1500 or above in the Bronx.        

This is a picture of the South Bronx, close to where I live. In the image we can see that how the buildings are so diverse, the small buildings are being broken down and being reconstructed into big buildings in order to have more space and better environment. I remember having a small deli store near my house and I used to go there almost everyday to buy food and drinks. A few years ago the store was taken in order to have more space for a building that was next to it. The owner of the building then built it into a bigger restaurant where now many people go everyday.