Thirty years ago SoHo was created. Dumbo was created 15 years ago.

Is Mott Haven in the Bronx next?

Was it gentrification? Was it revitalization? Many people do not seem to understand the difference.

According to Wikipedia, gentrification is a process of renovating deteriorated urban neighborhoods by means of the influx of more affluent residents. This is a common and controversial topic in politics and in urban planning.

Many say this is the process of renovating and improving a house or district so that it conforms to middle-class taste.

Or, as summed-up by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): “Gentrification is often defined as the transformation of neighborhoods from low value to high value.”

Gentrification is a general term for the arrival of wealthier people in an existing urban district, a related increase in rents and property values, and changes in the district’s character and culture. The term is often used negatively, suggesting the displacement of poor communities by rich outsiders.

So then, what is reverse gentrification? It is the process through which real estate becomes more valuable and, therefore, more expensive. Rising prices displace older residents in favor of transplants with higher incomes, according to a just released report by New York Comptroller Scott Stringer.

A recent New York Post article revealed some startling facts, mainly that areas of Brooklyn have gotten more expensive and affordable apartments are vanishing. Roughly 20 percent of apartments cost $900 or less, compared to 74 percent in 2005, the report stated.

The Bronx, once written off by buyers and renters alike, is becoming the next front in New York City’s gentrification wars. The formerly blighted South Bronx has developed a moniker among real estate professionals as “SoBro”–suggestive of one of Manhattan’s ritziest neighborhoods.

Mott Haven most recent development includes seven new residential towers on the waterfront: about 1,400 luxury apartments with panoramic views of Manhattan, plus swimming pools, gyms, a dog spa, music studio, an art studio, and a new waterfront park open to the public.

The city plan called for revitalizing the area through private investment.

According to the real estate website Streeteasy, rents in the neighborhood spiked 16 percent just last year.

Zillow said earlier this year that several Bronx neighborhoods saw an over ten percent rise, even as average prices across the city dipped.

So what does  revitalization have to do with this?

According to a quick Google search, to revitalize is to restore something to life or give it new life. Revitalizing adds newness and strength. Since vital things are alive, strong, and flourishing, when something gets revitalized, it is returned to health or life. A good night’s sleep, for example, will revitalize you–so will eating a healthy meal.