Generation Z versus gentrification

A 17-year-old confronts a beloved neighborhood changing around her

By JUDITH JUAREZ

Driving down Jefferson Boulevard, a person could start to feel like an outsider in her own city. Southwest Center Mall is being renovated. New restaurants and apartment buildings go up. The development of Bishop Arts creeps towards the heart of Oak Cliff, Jefferson.

Oak Cliff is changing rapidly and sending some longtime residents adrift. In the midst of these tear-downs and highrises, it’s easy to forget the families who lived in the buildings before.

Through the changes, there is a generation who saw it all unfold. What do kids who have grown up in Oak Cliff think of gentrification? We polled these five rising high school seniors to find out.

“We need to support the local businesses that we still have.”

CARLOS CORTEZ, 17, has lived in south Oak Cliff his whole life.

“There’s a lot more housing available. The affordable part is the point that gets lost in translation. There’s always something being torn down.” Cortez describes Little Mexico, now Uptown, as an example of what Oak Cliff could become. “I think any time a bridge or any new methods of transportation is made more convenient, that’s always gonna be a problem for people who’ve already lived there.”

“I see more houses getting built that are nicer than the houses around me.”

ANGELICA VEGA, 14, has lived in north Oak Cliff for 14 years.

“Social media makes it seem like our neighborhood is so pretty and such a nice place to live in, so more people want to live here.”

Vega’s parents’ house in the Bishop Arts area receives frequent offers from real-estate investors even though the family says they do not wish to sell.

“They usually talk about how we have a good placement in the neighborhood,” Vega says. “And they offer benefits like money and how they could easily give us cash.”

With rising prices in her neighborhood, Vega is bleak about the future. She says she doubts she’d ever be able to buy near her parents when she’s older: “There’s a house on my street that we wanted to show to my cousin. She couldn’t afford it.”

“These families … stay because they don’t have the money to go anywhere else.”

ROSILDA AMEZQUITA, 17, who has lived in Cockrell Hill her whole life.

Jefferson Boulevard is a hot-spot for culture but Amezuita says she fears for the future. “All these quinceañera businesses that have always been there. The fruterias or paleterias are all leaving because they can’t afford to rent there.”

Bishop Dunne Catholic School

Contact: Brian Muth at 214. 339.6561 or admissions@bdcs.org.

A co-educational, college preparatory school serving students in grades 6-12. We provide a strong faith and valuebased education with high academic standards, encouraging all students to achieve their full potential. Our curriculum emphasizes individualized attention, and is constantly at the forefront of technology integration through the use of laptops, ebooks, and our Online Education Program. Additionally, we provide a full range of extracurricular activities ranging from athletics, to the arts, to clubs and service organizations.