If you have lived in the same city for the last 15 to 20 years you have most likely seen parts of it change. Many times, foreign investors move into the city and big global retail brands start altering the fabric of a city’s cultural identity. We’ve all had this moment where we’ve walked around different neighborhoods of different cities and we’ve witnessed the exact same stores selling the exact same stuff. 

In very rough terms, that’s how most people experience what we call gentrification a term that is very commonly associated with the deterioration of a neighborhood’s cultural identity. 

However, these changes on a neighborhood’s cultural identity tend to have disproportionate effects on minority communities as one of the main effects of gentrification are an increase in property rental value. Displacement due to gentrification is a very real thing and needs to be looked at closely as there’s a severe lack of policy to protect migrants and minorities.

Maria Ivanova and Ruby Chen will help us explore the inevitability of socioeconomic growth and the different ways we can make its impact less traumatizing for migrant ethnicities who are forced to relocate.