Greenstone Hill is a suburb on the East Rand in the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in the Gauteng province of South Africa . It is in-between Edenvale to the south and Modderfontein to the north.
59-662: It is located within a short drive to O. R. Tambo International Airport (IATA: JNB, ICAO: FAOR), which is Africa's biggest and busiest airport and a major international and domestic transport hub in the region. Greenstone Hill, along with its neighboring town of Edenvale , are within close proximity to 4 major roads, these being the N3 freeway ( Johannesburg Eastern Bypass ), the R24 freeway (which runs from Johannesburg city centre to O.R. Tambo International Airport), Modderfontein Road (R25) and
118-425: A Starbucks , and (c) my neighbors and I can no longer afford to live here ( community displacement )". Palen & London (1984) compiled five explanations for gentrification since the 1970s: Other explanations propose that as people tire of the automobile-dependent urban sprawl style of life, they move to urban areas, in particular to homes near public transit stations. The increase in professional jobs in
177-662: A district it goes on rapidly, until all or most of the original working-class occupiers are displaced and the whole social character of the district is changed. In the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report Health Effects of Gentrification defines the real estate concept of gentrification as "the transformation of neighborhoods from low value to high value." A real estate encyclopedia defines gentrification as "the process by which central urban neighborhoods that have undergone disinvestments and economic decline experience
236-519: A drop in the number of children per household, increased education among residents, the number of non-traditional types of households, and a general upwards shift in income. Just as critical to the gentrification process as creating a favorable environment is the availability of the 'gentry,' or those who will be first-stage gentrifiers. The typical gentrifiers are affluent and have professional-level, service industry jobs, many of which involve self-employment . Therefore, they are willing and able to take
295-522: A higher likelihood of eviction." A 2020 study which followed children from low-income families in New York found no evidence that gentrification was associated with changes in mobility rates. The study also found "that children who start out in a gentrifying area experience larger improvements in some aspects of their residential environment than their counterparts who start out in persistently low-socioeconomic status areas." A 2023 study by economists at
354-415: A neighborhood, changing the essential character and flavour of that neighborhood", so distinguishing it from the different socio-economic process of "neighborhood (or urban) revitalization", although the terms are sometimes used interchangeably. Gentrification has been described as a natural cycle: the well-to-do prefer to live in the newest housing stock. Each decade of a city's growth, a new ring of housing
413-416: A process "in which members of the 'new middle class' move into and physically and culturally reshape working-class inner city neighbourhoods". Kennedy & Leonard (2001) say in their Brookings Institution report that "the term 'gentrification' is both imprecise and quite politically charged", suggesting its redefinition as "the process by which higher income households displace lower income residents of
472-499: A result, a lot of residential development has been constructed or is still under construction here. These properties are mostly in the form of town houses and apartments within a Body Corporate, but there are also many free standing houses within residential estates. A 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom town house can be purchased for around R1,550,000 (approx. US$ 110,000). The free standing house can be purchased from R2 800 000 up to R6 000 000 (approx. $ 200k - $ 428k). The population of Greenstone Hill
531-538: A return to the inner city but is more of a positive action to remain there. The stereotypical gentrifiers also have shared consumer preferences and favor a largely consumerist culture. This fuels the rapid expansion of trendy restaurant, shopping, and entertainment spheres that often accompany the gentrification process. Holcomb and Beauregard described these groups as those who are "attracted by low prices and toleration of an unconventional lifestyle". An interesting find from research on those who participate and initiate
590-683: A reversal, reinvestment, and the in-migration of a well-off middle- and upper-middle-class population." Scholars and pundits have applied a variety of definitions to gentrification since 1964, some oriented around gentrifiers, others oriented around the displaced, and some a combination of both. The first category include the Hackworth (2002) definition "the production of space for progressively more affluent users". The second category include Kasman's definition "the reduction of residential and retail space affordable to low-income residents". The final category includes Rose, who describes gentrification as
649-413: A social rise that brings new standards in consumption, particularly in the form of excess and superfluity, to the area that were not held by the pre-existing residents. These differing norms can lead to conflict, which potentially serves to divide changing communities. Often this comes at a larger social cost to the original residents of the gentrified area whose displacement is met with little concern from
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#1732782411509708-532: A typical 1970s term with more visibility in public discourse than actual migration. A 2017 study found that gentrification leads to job gains overall, with job losses in proximate locations but job gains further away. A 2014 study found that gentrification led to job gains in the gentrifying neighborhood. A 2016 study found that residents who stay in gentrifying neighborhoods go on to obtain higher credit scores whereas residents who leave gentrifying neighborhoods obtain lower credit scores. "School gentrification"
767-431: A very secure living option. Although the square kilometre radius of Greenstone Hill may seem quite small when compared to the neighbouring suburbs, there is a sense of luxury living associated with the area hence a high level of affluent residents and property investors are found in the area. Greenstone Hill seems to portray a fairly decent active lifestyle where a large contingency of joggers and cyclists are noticeable, this
826-417: Is a combined community effort to win historic district designation for the neighborhood, a phenomenon that is often linked to gentrification activity. Gentry can exert a peer influence on neighbors to take action against crime, which can lead to even more price increases in changing neighborhoods when crime rates drop and optimism for the area's future climbs. Some argue that gentrification is associated with
885-411: Is built. When the housing at the center has reached the end of its useful life and becomes cheap, the well-to-do gentrify the neighborhood. The push outward from the city center continues as the housing in each ring reaches the end of its economic life. They observe that gentrification has three interpretations: (a) "great, the value of my house is going up, (b) coffee is more expensive, now that we have
944-641: Is characterized by: (i) increased numbers of middle-class families; (ii) material and physical upgrades (e.g. new programs, educational resources, and infrastructural improvements); (iii) forms of exclusion and/or the marginalization of low-income students and families (e.g. in both enrollment and social relations); and (iv) changes in school culture and climate (e.g. traditions, expectations, and social dynamics). A 2024 study found that adding high-density mixed-income developments to low-income neighborhoods in London, United Kingdom, led to improved educational outcomes for
1003-877: Is commonly referenced as a negative aspect of gentrification by its opponents. A 2022 study found evidence that gentrification leads to greater residential mobility. In the United States, a 2023 study by Princeton University sociologists found that "eviction rates decreased more in gentrifying neighborhoods than in comparable low-income neighborhoods." A 2016 study found "that vulnerable residents, those with low credit scores and without mortgages, are generally no more likely to move from gentrifying neighborhoods compared with their counterparts in nongentrifying neighborhoods." A 2017 study by sociology professor Matthew Desmond , who runs Princeton University's Eviction Lab, "found no evidence that renters residing in gentrifying or in racially- and economically-integrated neighborhoods had
1062-514: Is generally younger, typically persons who have recently left home or those who have young families. A typical townhouse or apartment complex ranges from 600 to 1100 units where these apartments offer renters or homeowners options from 1 bedroom-1 bathroom through to 3 bedroom-2 bathroom variations. Free standing houses are situated within the 5 residential estates (Thorn Valley Estate, Bushwillow Park Estate, Emerald Estate, Pebble Creek Estate and Waterstone Park Estate). All of which are considered to be
1121-410: Is little evidence for more long-term impacts and that gentrification in some cases widens crime-related disparities. Displacement is often seen as a key effect of gentrification, although evidence is mixed as to whether gentrification leads to displacement (or even reduces displacement) and under which circumstances. In 2005, USA Today claimed that gentrification is a "boost for everyone" based on
1180-758: Is more likely when there is an undersupply of housing and rising home values in a metropolitan area. The gentrification process is typically the result of increasing attraction to an area by people with higher incomes spilling over from neighboring cities, towns, or neighborhoods. Further steps are increased investments in a community and the related infrastructure by real estate development businesses, local government, or community activists and resulting economic development , increased attraction of business, and lower crime rates. Historians say that gentrification took place in ancient Rome and in Roman Britain , where large villas were replacing small shops by
1239-460: Is no agreed-upon definition of gentrification. In public discourse, it has been used to describe a wide array of phenomena, sometimes in a pejorative connotation. Gentrification is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and planning . Gentrification often increases the economic value of a neighborhood, but can be controversial due to changing demographic composition and potential displacement of incumbent residents. Gentrification
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#17327824115091298-601: Is now part of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality , which includes much of the East Rand , while Modderfontein and Rabie Ridge became part of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality . Gentrification Gentrification is the process whereby the character of a neighborhood changes through the influx of more affluent residents (the " gentry ") and investment. There
1357-556: Is over and above the advent of a number of gyms and crossfit boxes opening up within the area. Edenvale, South Africa Edenvale is a small city on the East Rand in Gauteng , South Africa . It is part of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality . It lies about halfway between the O.R. Tambo International Airport and the Johannesburg city centre and is located 12 km by road from Sandton and about 9 km from
1416-419: Is thought to be a method to promote health equity. Whether gentrification has occurred in a census tract in an urban area in the United States during a particular 10-year period between censuses can be determined by a method used in a study by Governing : If the census tract in a central city had 500 or more residents and at the time of the baseline census had median household income and median home value in
1475-528: The N12 highway . The rapid rail line Gautrain passes to the east and the north of Greenstone Hill and the closest stations are Rhodesfield and Marlboro . As of October 2018 a midibus service links Greenstone mall to Marlboro station with buses every 30 minutes during peak times and every hour during off peak times. Greenstone Hill is also the location of the Greenstone Shopping Mall which
1534-520: The 3rd century, AD. The word gentrification derives from gentry —which comes from the Old French word genterise , "of gentle birth" (14th century) and "people of gentle birth" (16th century). In England, landed gentry denoted the social class, consisting of gentlemen (and gentlewomen, as they were at that time known). British sociologist Ruth Glass was first to use "gentrification" in its current sense. She used it in 1964 to describe
1593-580: The W. E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research and Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia found that the construction of new large apartment buildings in low-income neighborhoods lead to an influx of high-income households but also decrease rents in nearby units by increasing housing supply. Many of the social effects of gentrification have been based on extensive theories about how socioeconomic status of an individual's neighborhood will shape one's behavior and future. These studies have prompted "social mix policies" to be widely adopted by governments to promote
1652-784: The area. Much of Edenvale widely diversified by immigration to other parts of Africa, notably: Zambians and Malawians . It also hosts a large population of Portuguese , Greeks and Italians . In the last ten years, the area to the north of Edenvale ( Modderfontein ) has expanded significantly. Five malls have been erected, Greenstone and Stoneridge mall , Eden Meadows, Stonehill Crossing and Green Valley as well as an array of complexes and townhouses, in an area now called Greenstone Hill and Greenstone Park, just west of Illiondale. This recent, yet rapid influx of infrastructure and added commercial business has bankrupted businesses in Lungile Mtshali Road (formerly Van Riebeeck Road;
1711-447: The artists' case. Their cultural emancipation from the bourgeois makes the central city an appealing alternative that distances them from the conformity and mundaneness attributed to suburban life. They are quintessential city people, and the city is often a functional choice as well, for city life has advantages that include connections to customers and a closer proximity to a downtown art scene, all of which are more likely to be limited in
1770-407: The bottom 40th percentile and at the time of the next 10-year census the tract's educational attainment (percentage of residents over age 25 with a bachelor's degree) was in the top 33rd percentile; the median home value, adjusted for inflation, had increased; and the percentage of increase in home values in the tract was in the top 33rd percentile when compared to the increase in other census tracts in
1829-436: The central business district has increased demand for living in urban areas according to Ley (1980) . Critical geographers have argued that capital flows and developers have been instrumental in causing gentrification. The de-industrialization of cities in developed nations may have caused displacement by reducing the number of blue-collar jobs available to the urban working class and middle-class. Some have argued that
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1888-417: The changed perception of the central city that is encouraged by gentrification can be healthy for resource-deprived communities who have previously been largely ignored. Gentrifiers provide the political effectiveness needed to draw more government funding towards physical and social area improvements, while improving the overall quality of life by providing a larger tax base. Communities have strong ties to
1947-419: The changing norms that accompany gentrification translate to a changing social hierarchy. The process of gentrification mixes people of different socioeconomic strata, thereby congregating a variety of expectations and social norms. The change gentrification brings in class distinction also has been shown to contribute to residential polarization by income, education, household composition, and race. It conveys
2006-571: The children who were already living in the neighborhood. The plausible mechanism for this effect is that incumbent students were exposed to more high-ability students. In Chicago, among neighborhood public schools located in areas that did undergo gentrification, one study found that schools experience no aggregate academic benefit from the socioeconomic changes occurring around them, despite improvements in other public services such street repair, sanitation, policing, and firefighting. The lack of gentrification-related benefits to schools may be related to
2065-585: The closest Gautrain station. It started out in 1903, after the Anglo Boer War as a small settlement named Rietfontein which sprung up around the Rietfontein Gold Mine. It was made a municipality in 1942. It was initially populated by Cornish mineworkers. Residential suburbs include: Industrial suburbs include: Edenvale is a busy city that ranges from middle-class areas such as Edenvale Central, Eastleigh and Illiondale, to
2124-435: The counterculture movement in the 1960s created disdain for the "standardization of look-alike suburbs", prompting people to live in urban areas. Others argue that a desire to live near cultural attractions prompts gentrification. According to a 2020 systematic review of existing research, gentrification in the United States has led to a short-term reduction in crime in gentrifying neighborhoods. However, it noted that there
2183-501: The decline of distinctive local businesses and the rise of chains and franchises. Rehabilitation movements have been largely successful at restoring the plentiful supply of old and deteriorated housing that is readily available in inner cities. This rehabilitation can be seen as a superior alternative to expansion, for the location of the central city offers an intact infrastructure that should be taken advantage of: streets, public transportation, and other urban facilities. Furthermore,
2242-417: The demand has grown. Additionally, Darren P. Smith finds through his research that college-educated workers moving into the urban areas causes them to settle there and raise children, which eventually contributes to the cost of education in regards to the migration between urban and suburban places. Women increasingly obtaining higher education as well as higher paying jobs has increased their participation in
2301-490: The efficiency of commodities parents need by minimizing time constraints among multiple jobs, childcare, and markets. Phillip Clay's two-stage model of gentrification places artists as prototypical stage one or "marginal" gentrifiers. The National Endowment for the Arts did a study that linked the proportion of employed artists to the rate of inner city gentrification across a number of U.S. cities. Artists will typically accept
2360-506: The finding that white gentrifiers often do not enroll their children in local neighborhood public schools. Programs and policies designed to attract gentrifying families to historically disinvested schools may have unintended negative consequences, including an unbalanced landscape of influence wherein the voices and priorities of more affluent parents are privileged over those of lower-income families. In addition, rising enrollment of higher-income families in neighborhood schools can result in
2419-464: The gentrification process, the "marginal gentrifiers" as referred to by Tim Butler, is that they become marginalized by the expansion of the process. Research shows how one reason wealthy, upper-class individuals and families hold some responsibility in the causation of gentrification is due to their social mobility. Wealthier families were more likely to have more financial freedom to move into urban areas, oftentimes choosing to do so for their work. At
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2478-488: The gentry or the government. Clashes that result in increased police surveillance, for example, would more adversely affect young minorities who are also more likely to be the original residents of the area. There is also evidence to support that gentrification can strengthen and stabilize when there is a consensus about a community's objectives. Gentrifiers with an organized presence in deteriorated neighborhoods can demand and receive better resources. A characteristic example
2537-467: The history and culture of their neighborhood, and causing its dispersal can have detrimental costs. The economic changes that occur as a community goes through gentrification are often favorable for local governments. Affluent gentrifiers expand the local tax base as well as support local shops and businesses, a large part of why the process is frequently alluded to in urban policies. The decrease in vacancy rates and increase in property value that accompany
2596-550: The impact of some recent studies and that displacement that arises is minimal, or caused by other factors. Some scholars have disputed these assertions, arguing that such studies distort facts and used limited datasets. In 2002, economist Jacob Vigdor wrote, "Overall, existing literature has failed to convincingly demonstrate that rates of involuntary displacement are higher in gentrifying neighborhoods." A 2018 study found evidence that gentrification displaces renters, but not homeowners. The displacement of low-income rental residents
2655-523: The influx of middle-class people displacing lower-class worker residents in urban neighborhoods; her example was London , and its working-class districts such as Islington : One by one, many of the working class neighbourhoods of London have been invaded by the middle-classes—upper and lower. Shabby, modest mews and cottages—two rooms up and two down—have been taken over, when their leases have expired, and have become elegant, expensive residences ... Once this process of 'gentrification' starts in
2714-492: The inner-city lifestyle is important for women with children where the father does not care equally for the child, because of the proximity to professional childcare. This attracts single parents, specifically single mothers, to the inner-city as opposed to suburban areas where resources are more geographically spread out. This is often deemed as "marginal gentrification", for the city can offer an easier solution to combining paid and unpaid labor. Inner city concentration increases
2773-411: The investment risk in the housing market. Often they are single people or young couples without children who lack demand for good schools. Gentrifiers are likely searching for inexpensive housing close to the workplace and often already reside in the inner city, sometimes for educational reasons, and do not want to make the move to suburbia. For this demographic, gentrification is not so much the result of
2832-432: The labor force, translating to an expansion of women who have greater opportunities to invest. Smith suggests this group "represents a reservoir of potential gentrifiers." The increasing number of highly educated women play into this theory, given that residence in the inner city can give women access to the well-paying jobs and networking, something that is becoming increasingly common. There are also theories that suggest
2891-680: The main thoroughfare through the Edenvale City Centre) forcing numerous store owners to liquidate their capital investments. In 1995, after the local government elections, Edenvale was amalgamated with some surrounding areas, including Modderfontein , Rabie Ridge Extensions 4 and 5 , Chloorkop and the western part of Tembisa to form the Lethabong municipality, as part of the short-lived transitional Khayalami Metropolitan Council , which also included Midrand and Kempton Park / Tembisa . This arrangement ended in 2000, and Edenvale
2950-508: The more upper-class areas such as Dowerglen and Edenglen. Edenvale Central (locally referred to as The Avenues) has seen high investment over the past few years in the form of upper-income clusters and townhouses. This has resulted in small-scale gentrification and hence an increase in coffee shops and streetside cafes. There is also a trend in Eastleigh and Illiondale to purchase derelict properties and renovate them, which has also benefitted
3009-814: The political and cultural displacement of long-term residents in school decision-making processes and the loss of Title I funding. Notably, the expansion of school choice (e.g., charter schools, magnet schools, open enrollment policies) have been found to significantly increase the likelihood that college-educated white households gentrify low-income communities of color. A culmination of recent research suggests that gentrification has both detrimental and beneficial effects on health. A 2020 review found that studies tended to show adverse health impacts for Black residents and elderly residents in areas undergoing gentrification. A 2019 study in New York, found that gentrification has no impact on rates of asthma or obesity among low-income children. Growing up in gentrifying neighborhoods
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#17327824115093068-421: The process and its positive effects, such as lessening the strain on public resources that are associated with de-concentrating poverty. However, more specific research has shown that gentrification does not necessarily correlate with "social mixing", and that the effects of the new composition of a gentrified neighborhood can both weaken as well as strengthen community cohesion. Housing confers social status, and
3127-619: The process can work to stabilize a previously struggling community, restoring interest in inner-city life as a residential option alongside the suburbs. These changes can create positive feedback as well, encouraging other forms of development of the area that promote general economic growth. Home ownership is a significant variable when it comes to economic impacts of gentrification. People who own their homes are much more able to gain financial benefits of gentrification than those who rent their houses and can be displaced without much compensation. Economic pressure and market price changes relate to
3186-413: The risks of rehabilitating deteriorated property, as well as having the time, skill, and ability to carry out these extensive renovations. David Ley states that the artist's critique of everyday life and search for meaning and renewal are what make them early recruits for gentrification. The identity that residence in the inner city provides is important for the gentrifier, and this is particularly so in
3245-515: The same time, in these urban areas the lower-income population is decreasing due to an increase in the elderly population as well as demographic change. Jackelyn Hwang and Jeffrey Lin have supported in their research that another reason for the influx of upper-class individuals to urban areas is due to the "increase in demand for college-educated workers". It is because of this demand that wealthier individuals with college degrees needed to move into urban cities for work, increasing prices in housing as
3304-403: The speed of gentrification. English-speaking countries have a higher number of property owners and a higher mobility. German speaking countries provide a higher share of rented property and have a much stronger role of municipalities, cooperatives, guilds and unions offering low-price-housing. The effect is a lower speed of gentrification and a broader social mix. Gerhard Hard sees gentrification as
3363-413: The urban area then it was considered to have been gentrified. The method measures the rate of gentrification, not the degree of gentrification; thus, San Francisco , which has a history of gentrification dating to the 1970s, show a decreasing rate between 1990 and 2010. Scholars have also identified census indicators that can be used to reveal that gentrification is taking place in a given area, including
3422-432: Was associated with moderate increases in being diagnosed with anxiety or depression between ages 9–11 relative to similar children raised in non-gentrifying areas. The effects of gentrification on mental health were most prominent for children living in market-rate (rather than subsidized) housing, which lead the authors of the study to suggest financial stress as a possible mechanism. Preventing or mitigating gentrification
3481-410: Was opened in 2007. Expansions of this mall and the nearby Stoneridge Centre, along with other smaller shopping center's such as Eden-Meadows, Greenstone Crescent, and Stoneridge Centre has made Greenstone Hill a big drawcard for shoppers and entertainment seekers from all over the city. The nearby Longmeadow Business Park has made Greenstone Hill a convenient place to purchase residential property and as
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