Perfectly Nice Neighbors

GENTRIFICATION: (noun) The appropriation of an area defined by marginalized people (especially working-class people and/or people of color) by people with higher privilege (especially upper-middle-class-to-rich people and/or white people).

An exploration of promotional materials for "gentrifying structures." But what does that mean? What does gentrification mean? What does...anything mean? Structures explored: The Pinehills (Plymouth, MA) One North of Boston (Chelsea, MA) One Webster (Chelsea, MA) Troy Boston (South End, Boston, MA) Ocean 650 Apartments (Revere, MA)

An exploration of "Good Neighbors: Gentrifying Diversity in Boston's South End" by Sylvie Tissot, a book that traces the history of a neighborhood that did exactly what Jane Jacobs prescribed. How exactly does gentrification work? And is Ajey an archetypal example of the gentrifiers he so fears? Source Cited: "Good Neighbors: Gentrifying Diversity in Boston's South End" by Sylvie Tissot. Translated by David Broder and Catherine Romatowski. Published in 2015 by Verso.

A continued exploration of "The Death and Life of Great American Cities" by Jane Jacobs, and a meditation on the concept of "unslumming." Could Jacobs's ideas save affordable housing? And did she accidentally predict the forces that would drive gentrification over fifty years later? Source cited: "The Death and Life of Great American Cities," by Jane Jacobs. First published 1961 by Random House.

An exploration of "The Death and Life of Great American Cities" by Jane Jacobs, and some field research to see Jacobs's ideas in practice. But is even Jacobs's ideal of city life susceptible to gentrification? Source cited: "The Death and Life of Great American Cities," by Jane Jacobs. First published 1961 by Random House.

A case study of Chelsea, Massachusetts, a city that has risen from its own ashes several times in the past century. But it may be facing another threat: the Lovecraftian force of gentrification. Participant interviewed: Amber-Nicole Rodriguez Sources cited: http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=chelsea+ma+vs+massachusetts+demographics https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/RHI705210/25,2513205,00 http://www.massbenchmarks.org/statedata/data/mdc2015/UMDI%20Summary%20US%20Census%202015%20MA%20MCD%20Population%20Estimates.pdf

A case study of Plymouth, Massachusetts, a beach town and tourist favorite, growing at a rapid yet unequal pace. Participants interviewed: Katie Donegan Annie Donegan

A case study of Franklin, Massachusetts, a quiet town turned near-city. But is the surge in development here truly gentrification? Participants interviewed: Nick Burgos John Carroll Dana Hayes ​​​​​​​Pat Samson

An introduction to this investigative project and exploration of the intuitions of my friends and myself. Participants interviewed: Amber-Nicole Rodriguez Helen Woods Jasmine JeanMarie Patton Katie Donegan Nick Blaisdell Tori Cullen