#chinatow

[livefromphilly]

[burbkids]

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[photovideosamplesetc]

Lunar New Year Parade in Chinatown New York

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[ascherby]

[amartey-universe-blog]

                                                       Chinatown

       Airbnb is a website where people list and rent accommodations. It is headquartered in San Francisco. As the picture speaks for itself, Chinatown had its distinct culture which prevailed through very challenging circumstance such as the Chinese Exclusion Act and natural disasters,yet it is not prevailing against gentrifcation. Gentrification is greatly impacting the sense of home of the residents of Chinatown by distorting their sense of culture. What is about Chinatown’s cultural displacement is the fact that it is displacing the culture of an entire community and not that of individuals.

      Among the many threats to Chinatown's sense of culture was the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, a law signed by President Chester A. Arthur in 1882 that banned immigration of Chinese Laborers and prevented Chinses from obtaining United State citizenship. With such curfew, they could easily have gone back to China, where they would have felt more belonging. However, they prevailed and maintained their sense of home in Chinatown.

     Surprisingly, Airbnb is changing the amenities, accommodations and social life of Chinatown. This creates an alarming effect of gentrification on human diversity. If Chinatown continues to get gentrified it will end up like most gentrified towns, with tall buildings, expensive restaurants, raised standard of living where neighbors or floor mates know nothing about each other. However, because of greed and self-actualization, Airbnb do not care about the diversities they are using gentrification to demolish. If this goes on, the Chinese civilization built in Chinatown from 168 years of prevalence will be demolished with its rich culture that attracts millions of tourists from around the world. Gentrification has very bad consequences on the sense of home of residents of affected areas and therefore must be strictly regulated.