Nonsense on stiltsWHEN Spanish explorers first landed in San Francisco they settled on a sunny patch of land known today as the Mission District, displacing the Native Americans who had been living there. Now the neighbourhood is facing a new, disruptive influx of settlers, as hordes of yuppies who work in the thriving technology sector move in, pushing up rents and pushing out longtime residents. New urban money has altered the largely Hispanic district, which now hosts designer coffee shops and a Michelin-star restaurant, as well as the home of Facebook’s billionaire founder, Mark Zuckerberg.
Those concerned about gentrification of the Mission supported a ballot measure—decided by voters in San Francisco’s election on November 3rd—which would have stopped all new construction in the area for 18 months. Supporters believed this could temporarily halt rising rents and save poorer residents from eviction, which is occurring not only in the Mission but throughout the city. The proposition was defeated at the polls; but it points to larger tensions over the effects of the technology boom in San Francisco and nearby...Continue reading
Source: United States http://ift.tt/1Nuvubz
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