Beautifying poor areas

[realFedUp]

This is a very basic and dummy answer of improving a poorer area of a city, but how about more plantings of trees, green areas, veggie gardens and flowers. Visually, green areas give more pleasure and security to dreary areas. More citizens are on the streets taking ownership and care of the plantings. More responsible citizens gather togetherness in those areas.. Closing off street to traffic for gatherings, open markets, and selling of crafts and foods attracts citizens. Put kids to work planting with guidance from garden groups.

Just a simple idea. Not rocket science.

[realFedUp]

1. K&R

[KamaAina]

2. Oakland is getting into urban farming in a big way

including on the many vacant lots in town.

[realFedUp]

3. I wonder if there are tax incentives

For tearing down an empty decrepit building and giving it to the community?

[realFedUp]

4. Gather creative minds

I don't think this has to be totally about government, police and clergy. Get some urban planners to do some pro bono. Organize moralists, spaces that can be turned into stores and restaurants. Bring people out and crime goes down. Spend some money on making stuff look better and gathering friendly.

[AngryAmish]

5. IE, gentrify the poor away.

This is what was done in NYC and DC. Chicago is in the middle of it.

Stop and frisk is an important step, plus raising everyday costs, like parking tickets etc. Make life miserable for the poors so they leave. No more public housing.

White people like Farmer's Markets. Get a lot of them. More Trader Joe's, fewer Aldi's.

That is the plan. Your soul can decide if it is a good one.

[realFedUp]

6. Gentrifying can help

A lot of the African American citizens you saw gathering by the third day in that area lived outside that area. They'd move in if the situation was better and safer.

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. I think you missed AngryAmish point

but on a larger picture. This is not just about green spaces, which do matter to a point. My priority would be the end of food deserts, dealing with failing schools, lead... quite honestly green areas can be part of the solution to food deserts but the order is kind of up for debate.

And these are just the top issues, among many more top issues.

Before you concern yourself with green, what about jobs? You think people do not wan to own their streets and homes? They do, but when incomes, median incomes, are as low as they are, they cannot afford this. A much higher priority in my mind is bringing in good paying jobs... people who cannot afford to buy seeds, and tend for those seeds, cannot afford a lot of other stuff... and stuff is a highly technical term I suppose.

But to AngryAmish point, areas that can be gentrified are, and the rents are raised, driving residents out, and getting what is a whiter and wealthier set of tenants instead. We are seeing this process here in North Park and City Heights. Where are the original tenants going to? Or rather where are they being forced to? Outside the city, to even deeper wells of poor population, our case El Cajon.

Here you go

http://reportingsandiego.com/2015/02/17/urban-inversion-and-gentrification/

And I could have easily done a similar article for Chicago's Hyde Park, a few NYC neighborhoods, or a few in Los Angeles.

[XemaSab]

8. People who rent are usually restricted in their ability to plant

Most of the places I've lived, I couldn't plant anything in the ground because the building owner had to maintain the landscaping.

Medians and parking strips are hard to plant in even if you know what you're doing.

Unless you got a group of people who were willing to go out every day and weed and water, it's an impractical idea.

[LeftyMom]

9. .

Hey poors, stop having ugly shit where I have to drive by it! Spend money you don't have on useless beautification projects so I don't have to think about how hard and sad your lives are!