Hi First name / there,
When I first moved to D.C., I was thrilled to find an apartment I could actually afford. It was a little further out, and in a neighborhood that I’d heard wasn’t the safest, but it was either that or move into a group house with strangers (which I really didn’t want to do). I applied, signed the lease and started to get to know my neighborhood. That was in 2018.
Things continued changing pretty fast. I remember scowling at the new highrise construction projects closing in on a once-thriving wholesale market, feeling offended at the sight of new CrossFit gyms and upscale restaurants. My relationship with gentrification was big *shake fist at the sky* energy, or so I thought. But by definition, my very presence in that neighborhood was gentrification in action, regardless of my race or what I thought of as a meager salary just shy of $50k.
Was my path of least harm to the city’s longtime residents to live in an already-gentrified neighborhood while paying 80% of my salary in rent? I felt guilty, confused and angry about the way the city was changing around me. I started to fixate on the city’s housing crisis.
I think in a lot of ways, gentrification is still a buzzword. It’s one of those concepts we know we’re supposed to feel frustrated by, but even in academic circles, it isn’t always defined the same way. As in so many cities across the country, D.C. was feeling the impact of rapidly rising housing costs and displacement. Then the pandemic hit.
In 2021, I decided to leave my job as a federal employee to change course – I left to earn master’s degrees in urban planning and data science. Honestly, I was tired of feeling helplessly frustrated. I believe that decent housing is a human right and I believe that we as a society have a moral obligation to make that happen. Sitting around feeling frustrated wouldn’t serve my community, but positioning my life in a different direction might.
This newsletter exists because you asked for it. This community exists because you’re in it. Let’s create a space to learn together, a space where it feels safe to ask questions without fear of judgment. While I have ideas for where this newsletter will go, I’m leaving the door open for co-creation. Because there’s nothing quite like chasing down curiosity.
With that in mind, is there a topic that touches housing that you’ve always wondered about? Is there a phenomenon that you’d like to understand better? Reply to this email and let me know!
Until then, poke around
the member dashboard! I plan to build out more fun things, but right now you’ll find details about Design Office Hours and #WhatWouldDomDo. Are you as pumped as I am?? I hope so.
