W ith more than 10,000 new units built every year in downtown Los Angeles, the neighborhood is experiencing a huge transformation. Today's Financial and Bunker Hill districts, for example, are dotted with newly-opened cafés and restaurants that seem to always be bustling with people, particularly those who work in one of the city's high-rises. Many who live or commute to downtown have praised the city council for the neighborhood's successful revitalization. With additional bike lanes and parklets, more grocery stores and shopping destinations, downtown has become an exciting place to be in.
"It's changed a lot," Project Manager Francisco Sanchez said. "I personally think it's much more interesting now."
Sanchez has lived in downtown for nine years now, working at Swinerton Builders, a general contractor with an office in the Financial District. He points to the new Wilshire Grand Center from his office window. "It's going to tower over all the other buildings. Ruin my view."
Upon completion, the Wilshire Grand Center will be tallest building west of the Mississippi River. Located in the middle of Financial District, it is the epitome of downtown's rapid revitalization. The building will have restaurants, office and leasing spaces, an observation deck and a hotel.
"The goal of the project was to create a world-class destination in downtown Los Angeles, which met the changing demands of businesses and travelers," Sean Rossall, Vice President of Cerrell Associates, said in an email. Rossall is handling press enquiries for the Wilshire Grand Center. "The Wilshire Grand will be an iconic part of the Downtown skyline and one of the city's most recognizable buildings."
It is projects like this, that remind people how fast and how much downtown has changed. And while these changes might translate to safety, better economy, progress, trendy boutiques and hip coffee shops to some, it could result in rent hikes, loss of culture and displacement to others.
Gary Boatwright, a member of the homeless community, has been on the streets for a few years now, wandering between Skid Row and Interstate 110.
"I was ultimately priced out," Boatwright said while folding his blanket and throwing his belongings into his shopping cart. He had spent the previous week sleeping next to Interstate 110 in Bunker Hill district, but plans on moving back toward Skid Row to avoid any confrontations with officials. "There's no room for nobody but the rich in this city."
According to Boatwright, he was paying for his mother's and sister's medical bills while working a part-time job that paid minimum wage. His landlord eventually kicked him out after months of late payment.
"I saw my rent increase month by month and there was just no way I could come up with that money," Boatwright said. "There are so many others like me but the government don't give no sh-t about us."
Bunker Hill and Financial District's zip codes -- 90012 and 90017 -- have seen a steady increase in home value index and rent price, according to Zillow Group, an online real estate database company. There has been a 5.2 percent increase in the median home value since August 2014. Meanwhile, the neighborhood's median household income is $15,003, which is low for the county of Los Angeles, according to Los Angeles Times' Mapping L.A. series. Bunker Hill apartments have an average starting rent of $1,000 and can go up to $5,000, as seen at The Emerson, a new residence next to Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Low-income residents are not the only one who are suffering from the consequences of gentrification. Local businesses in the area with long ties to the downtown community are also being replaced by hipper, trendier boutiques and yoga studios.
"Our customers were Hispanics," Illario Sanchez, the owner of Goleth's Beauty Salon on South Broadway Street said in Spanish. "[They] still are, but less of them now because everyone's leaving this area. Too, too expensive."
Sanchez's neighbors, a shrimp taco restaurant and a quinceañera dress shop, echo his sentiment: Though foot traffic has increased in the area, the new demographic is mostly white. Not only do the shopkeepers have trouble communicating with passersby and walk-in customers, but they also find that their businesses do not appeal to the people of downtown.
"It's very controversial and I have talked to shopkeepers," Madeline Bryant, a senior librarian at downtown's Central Library, said. "There's still a focus on small businesses, but shopkeepers who have been there a long time - 30 years, 20 years - have been displaced because new, more expensive, more fancy businesses are moving in."
The complex issues of gentrification underlie the successful transformation of downtown Los Angeles. As the city continues to grow, so too will the socio-economic inequality of existing residents. Before the city council brainstorms more projects to make downtown more liveable, it should challenge the problem of homelessness and displacement, because right now, downtown is booming at the expense of the poor.