Annotations for Gentrification: Social Class

As you all know, Austin's population is exploding. We're up 30% in the last 10 years, and we've doubled in the last 20. We're always talking on the podcast about where to put all these people. Today, we're going to talk about one particularly difficult group of newcomers, the wealthy ones. ---- This passage uses logos by quoting concrete numbers. It also uses pathos in making the listener imagine the crowding and perhaps having an emotional reaction to wealthy newcomers.

Many of these folks aren't coming here for the Austin vibe, but are here because a company moved their headquarters here. Many don't have any commitment to Keepin' Austin Austin. They show up here with their East Coast, West Coast money and coastal expectations for housing. --- Pathos is at work here identifying the needs of this group of people as a problem and putting them in a negative light.

They want high-end luxury, and they think it will be cheaper than where they came from. Bad news for them. It was cheaper here, but as we all know, it's not cheap anymore. --- This passage continues the pathos of negativity towards the newcomers. There is also an element of logos with comparisons of housing costs.

The corner barbershop becomes a little lemon, and the community institutions weather under a flood of half-caffeinated lattes. And worst, the existing residents get squeezed out of their own neighborhood. If we want to keep Austin Austin, we've got to find a way to stop this gentrification. --- Pathos is at work here trying to create the emotion of indignation at the unfairness of gentrification.

Let's welcome our newcomers, but put them where they are happiest, among their peers. Don't get me wrong, if someone new wants to live in a traditional neighborhood and loves it for how it is now, that's great, but let's keep out those who just want to destroy and rebuild. Here at Keepin' Austin Austin, we think we have one solution to this problem. --- This passage introduces the logos of the podcast, generally mentioning the podcast's solution. At the same time, it continues to use pathos to disparage the newcomers. The reference to the authority of the podcast inspires ethos.

Specifically, we'd forbid developers from making affordable housing into luxury. Let's talk about what zoning is and how the City can use it to implement these policies. According to Kenton, writing in Investopedia, zoning refers to municipal or local laws and regulations that govern how real property can and cannot be used in certain geographic areas. Ethos is used by referring to the published expert's definition. Logos is used in the further advancement of the proposal.

With more of this housing available, prices would be less likely to spiral out of control. The other part of my proposal is to make novel use of overlays to protect the low-income nature of certain existing traditional neighborhoods. This is turning traditional zoning on its head by using protections normally deployed in the service of the privileged to benefit the underprivileged. --- This section uses further logos to further describe the proposal. In addition, there is an element of ethos involved because the assertion of novelty implies that the speaker has expertise in the subject.

However, there is a potential pitfall here. Fewer apartments that are harder to find could create scarcity that makes traditional low-income housing more so often, and even more expensive once they are remodeled into luxury. We propose to attack this problem by limiting the ability of developers and new residents to make existing rental units more upscale and desirable. Nothing can be built in Austin without a building permit that describes the work and the cost of the work. The City could set a limit on how much you could spend upgrading apartments and avoid these pitfalls. --- Logos is deployed here to highlight a possible problem and then demonstrate the proposal has a solution. This also invokes this because the speaker is shown to have carefully thought through the implications of the proposal and therefore the speaker has more credibility.

Walt Whitman adopts the satirical perspective of a reformer, using evocative language to lament the changes in Brooklyn due to a steady and rapid gentrification. The modern reformer '[raises] the devil' and 'breaks things'.

Emphasizing the Human and Community Cost

Providing context on why local shops have been experiencing displacement: How the rise of tech companies and the influx of new residents have played a key role in gentrification in Austin. Not only affecting local shops but also long-time residents, hoping to connect with current Austin residents and make them reflect on whether or not they have seen, heard, or have contributed to this problem. Through thoughtful narration, this part of the podcast could challenge listeners to consider their role in this issue.

Connecting Rachel Meltzer's research to this topic: Explains how demographic shifts are reshaping South Congress by highlighting how new wealthier residents are unintentionally displacing the diversity and creativity that once defined the area. This invites listeners to reflect on their role in these changes. The delivery and use of a thoughtful, informative tone help persuade new and long-time residents to think more about this issue.

The good and bad things about new high-end retailers: The complexity of gentrification shows how new businesses bring economic benefits but also contribute to displacement. This approach appeals to a broader audience by recognizing multiple sides of this issue. As well as encouraging listeners to consider the social cost of economic development.

It's coming at the cost of the people who built that community in the first place. That's exactly what's happening on South Congress. It was once a working-class neighborhood with deep ties to Austin's Black and Latino communities. It was full of local businesses, affordable rent, and longtime residents who had been there for decades. But as Austin has grown, so has the pressure to develop. The city's booming, real estate prices are rising fast, and South Congress has become one of the most desirable areas in town. That makes it a target for investors and developers. They're buying up property, renovating buildings, and marketing the area to people with more money.

And while that might bring money into the local economy, it's also pushing out the people who made the neighborhood what it is. That's what gentrification does. It replaces real community with something more polished but less personal. The Liberator explains this clearly. I use a clear and personal tone to show how gentrification on South Congress is not just about development but about pushing out the Black, Latino, and working class communities who built the area, turning a once genuine neighborhood into something more polished but less meaningful.