Gentrification in NYC
Eleni Mentis
Gentrification is the change that occurs when an influx of middle or high-income families move into an area typically dominated by those of low-income. As a result, this alters the neighborhood and it’s makeup by catering to serve the new, more financially affluent demographic. As a New York native of color and graphic designer I am using my design skills to aid the growing activism against gentrification of New York City. Using web design as the medium, I created InformedNYC, a website aiming to inform and unite New Yorkers together against gentrification. Designed with blue and orange to pay homage to New York’s unofficial color palette, the project uses condensed type paired with a monospace typeface to give the work a news-inspired and educational feel. The homepage of InformedNYC is split into two parts: the left side informs New Yorkers of their housing rights while the right side houses an open forum, where New Yorkers can voice their own comments or view updates about the effects of gentrification in their areas. Additionally, InformedNYC provides access to the newsletter, What’s Happening in Your Neighborhood? Through this newsletter, New Yorkers may pick their borough and sign up to receive the newsletter specific to the neighborhood they reside in. The newsletter content is submission-based from locals residing in those specific areas, which promotes unity within those neighborhoods. The project’s main goal was to create a tool that unifies New Yorkers by informing them of their rights and helping them in the fight against gentrification.