General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: The 5 Phases of Gentrification -- When can it be stopped? [View all]Warpy
(114,750 posts)when working artists were attracted to an area that looked bombed out, buildings sold in the expectation they'd be torn down, large industrial sites nearby abandoned for years. Artists made the apartments habitable and chopped the industrial buildings into lofts. Because the rent was next to nothing, people who gave up setting the world ablaze with their artistic talent would open quirky bookstores, cafes, restaurants and vintage clothing places. Alas, this is what attracted the second wave, yuppie hipsters who were trying to hang onto lost youth by living in "hip" areas. And that's when I'd get priced out. Banks and real estate people only started to notice when the hipsters showed up and waved money in their faces.
If there was a way to encourage the hipsters to visit on the weekend but live elsewhere, that would be a good place to stop the process.