Archinect - News 2024-11-14T11:11:15-05:00 https://archinect.com/news/article/149972316/we-are-building-our-way-to-hell-tales-of-gentrification-around-the-world ‘We are building our way to hell’: tales of gentrification around the world Orhan Ayyüce 2016-10-05T19:23:00-04:00 >2022-03-16T09:10:02-04:00 <img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/q2/q2ewh0zbtsji1rkc.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=1200" border="0" /><em><p>My issue is not with areas being improved, it is how gentrification is about one demographic of our society changing an area for themselves and not for the benefit of everyone.</p></em><br /><br /><p><strong>Portland, US: &lsquo;We are currently building our way to hell&rsquo;</strong></p><p>&ldquo;I am a 70 year old carpenter and I have seen more decay in the quality of life in the last three years in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/portland" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Portland</a>, Oregon &ndash; pearl of culture in the Great Northwest &ndash; with the one-term mayor &lsquo;Chainsaw Charlie Hales&rsquo; who was previously a lobbyist for the the &lsquo;home builders&rsquo; &ndash; read developers. Towers built into the sky on alluvial soil &ndash; the stuff that turns to pudding in an earthquake. Hundred-year-old classic neighbourhoods injected with &lsquo;cereal box&rsquo; buildings invalidating residents&rsquo; privacy and daylight.</p><p>From my perspective, I would call this a travesty: &lsquo;Bankers gone wild&rsquo;. A spreadsheet vision of creating investments that spread the risk, with total disregard for community culture which, prior to this, was well protected by zoning. The people here have a campaign called&nbsp;<a href="http://www.stopdemolishingportland.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stop demolishing Portland</a>. Such beauty is being replaced by such tastelessness, as though the reason the people want to live here is to be housed like gerbi...</p>