Abstract
Covid 19 significantly affected people’s daily living and created health inequalities in most urban centers. The prevailing characteristics of big cities, such as high levels of social contact and crowded public transit, increased the rate of Covid 19 transmission. Most people had to flee to rural or coastal areas, providing outdoor space, comfort, and little contact. New York was highly affected by Covid 19 due to its high density and relative terms. This reversed the gentrification trends in the city, with most people preferring to leave denser areas such as New York for more spacious homes in other states and suburbs. This study explores how Covid 19 gentrification in New York affected Florida and Puerto Rico. It examines the prevalent trends during the Covid 19 that could have contributed to the gentrification and how this changed the social and economic characteristics of the gentrifying states.
Introduction
Covid 19 significantly changed people’s way of living and migration trends. Before the onset of the disease, most of the big cities were experiencing substantial growth in population and gentrification since they offered better standards of living, job opportunities, and transportation services (Ding & Hwang, 2022). The outbreak of Covid 19 substantially changed these patterns. Most organizations allow their employees to work from home. The Ministry of Health and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention encouraged people to keep social distance and avoid overcrowded areas. Most of the residents in the big cities, especially the young and more advantaged, avoided and left denser and more expensive urban areas to gentrifying neighborhoods. Also, the Covid 19 reduced the value of urban amenities in the cities with the social distancing policies and lower foot traffic, and closure of cultural and retail services such as restaurants, museums, and stores in the city, reducing demand for amenities (Ding & Hwang, 2022).
New York was the epicenter of Covid 19 in the US, with the first case reported on 1st March 2020. On 20th March 2020, state-wide stay-home orders were placed in the city. By 20th March, more than 600,000 cases of Covid 19 had been reported in New York, with more than 47,500 deaths reported across the New York metropolitan area (Schmahmann et al., 2022). Gentrification in New York had substantial impacts on other states. Mass migration out of the city to other states led to a flight of knowledge and tech workers toward the suburbs advancing the technological base in these areas. During the Covid period 1, there was a substantial outflow of people from New York and its surroundings to suburban areas (Schmahmann et al., 2022). Outflow movement reduced during Covid periods 2 and 3 since Covid-19 cases were reported in all areas, including the suburban.
This study analyzes how the Covid 19 gentrification in New York impacted Florida and Puerto Rico. It intends to provide new and more comprehensive evidence on the factors that influenced gentrification identifying the trends in gentrification during the Covid 19 and relating it to the socioeconomic status of the community. It connects the prevailing Covid 19 policies, such as stay-at-home policies and social distancing, and changes in people’s perceptions about the urban centers, which shifted their movement to suburban areas. Finally, a detailed analysis of the effects of these movement patterns in Florida and Puerto Rico is provided.
Literature Review
Introduction
Gentrification is the process that characterizes changes in neighborhoods due to the influx of new residents with higher social and economic status compared to the incumbent residents. Gentrification impacts the daily living in an area and may lead to increased housing prices, advancement in technology, and population increase. During the Covid 19 pandemic, gentrification was a common element due to the changes induced by employees and the government to decrease the rate at which the disease spread. This section reviews the available literature on Covid 19 gentrification in New York and how it impacted Florida and Puerto Rico.
Gentrification before Covid 19
Before Covid 19, several drivers of gentrification in the United States existed. Households were attracted to a particular neighborhood due to increased access of better and lower price houses and other services, and increased job opportunities. (Ding & Hwang, 2022) Gentrifying areas were characterized by increased turnover rates and higher socioeconomic residents moving either into or outside communities inhabited by low-income residents and underinvested. Gentrifying neighborhoods had unique features, including proximity to urban amenities, city centers, and better infrastructure. Phenomenons related to gentrification include residential relocation, the transformation of social, public, and commercial spaces, homogenization, and polarization.
Covid 19 Mortality Rate and Associated Changes
Covid 19 created new trends in how people operate. Governments, healthcare organizations, and businesses took substantial measures to minimize the rate of infections. Excess Mortality (EM) was experienced during the time of Covid 19 with different organizations and authorities monitoring EM to get a clear picture of how the pandemic could impact the population in the future (Wolff & Mykhnenko, 2023). The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that Covid 19 EM-associated rates amounted to approximately 14.91 million between January 2020 and 1st December 2021, representing 0.2 percent of the world’s population. The highest EM was experienced during the first wave, which peaked at 80 percent in April 2020 and gradually decelerated to 232 percent above the historical average in that year (Wolff & Mykhnenko, 2023). The EM AT New York City was 127 percent. Exposure to EM was highly related to health disparities within the countries and cities.
Covid 19 had uneven impacts on vulnerable sociodemographic groups and communities and led to short- and long-term physical and mental health effects associated with stress and anxiety. It also created economic uncertainties, with most people losing their jobs and others being forced to work from home (Wolff & Mykhnenko, 2023). Fertility rates declined significantly, especially in the urban areas where the pandemic adversities were highly felt. Lockdowns in the cities were severe, which reduced personal interactions and involvement in leisure activities. Migration outflows from urban centers increased while the inflow declined. The newly discovered work-from-home opportunities and the fast spreading of Covid 19 in dense urban areas significantly motivated many households to leave these areas (Wolff & Mykhnenko, 2023). People started relocating to more remote and affordable places where social distancing would be easier to practice.
Causes of Covid 19 Gentrification in New York
Covid 19 pandemic changed the attractiveness of urban centers since they were considered more vulnerable to contagious diseases due to the high density of people and social distancing challenges. New social-economic policies and directives were induced, including health-risk subsidies and the popularity of working from home. Living in urban centers was, therefore, less attractive, and thus, most of the residents left denser areas, such as New York City, for less populated areas (Ding & Hwang, 2022). The gentrifying neighborhoods provided green and open spaces that were more favorable when mobility was restricted. Also, the gentrifying cities were perceived to be more health friendly since residents could engage in physical exercise, substantially benefiting the population during the pandemic (Broitman, 2023). Green areas near city centers gained substantial value, with the utility assigned to these areas increasing among the people.
In Urban areas, residents were confined to small living spaces with many limitations, including limited capacity to engage in remote work, homeschooling, and other house activities. People’s attachment to the big cities was reduced as they preferred cheaper, larger, and less crowded residential areas (González‐Leonardo et al., 2022). There was an increase in real estate transactions in remote areas, prompting most people to move to villages and small towns. In the United States, the number of households moving from metropolitan areas increased by 30 percentage points per credit report data and mail-forwarding requests. The closure of businesses removed the effervescence of urban leisure, entertainment, and social spaces while triggering a rapid unemployment spike (González‐Leonardo et al., 2022). These services could be accessed virtually through video streaming and social media platforms that offered access to major shows and cultural performances that attracted most of the people in the cities.
Common Challenges during the Covid 19
Covid 19 gentrification created substantial challenges, especially for the socially vulnerable population. Most struggled to access social services, including medical care, transportation, and social support. Practicing social distancing was also a significant challenge in most areas, increasing the risk of transmission. For instance, urban slums faced substantial challenges in adhering to the Covid 19 policies. Also, the low-income and racial minority groups who could not work at home were unemployed. These new ways of living and working conditions involving childcare, professionalism, household duties, and schooling led to increased distress. Remote work also created a gender gap in job satisfaction and productivity. There was lower work efficiency and fulfillment during the Covid 19 period compared to pre-Covid 19 times due to higher household demands, the decline in concentration, and the need for multitasking.
People’s Movement in New York During Covid 19
The pandemic substantially impacted the movement of people into and out of New York. With the closure of schools and offices in March 2020, most wealthier New Yorkers fled from the city in fear of the adversities related to the pandemic. According to Stringer (2021), there was a net loss of movers, with the number of move-outs exceeding that of move-ins, with the net move-out of the city increasing by approximately 130,37 between March 2020 and June 2021. In the first three months of the pandemic in New York, 60 percent of the migration was temporary since the household or individuals intended to return (Stringer, 2021). This trend changed significantly, with permanent moves increasing to 79 percent afterward.
During the pandemic, some movements occurred locally, others within the same neighborhood or borough, and even changes of states or movement abroad (Stringer, 2021). Individuals’ ability to leave the city depended on different aspects, including secure traveling means, the availability of secure secondary living spaces, and individuals’ working nature, whether on-site or remotely (Stringer, 2021). The highest rate of movement was experienced in March 2020 in the early days of the pandemic, with this number declining as time progressed due to the initiation of lockdown policies and movement restrictions.
How the Gentrification Affected Florida and Puerto Rico
The mass exodus of people from New York to other states, such as Florida and Puerto Rico, increased the population in these states. Puerto Rico’s economic crisis worsened with the residents experiencing social, economic, and health disparities. The influx of people during the pandemic increased the rate of infection, which strained its healthcare system (García et al., 2020). Conditions in healthcare facilities, such as power and water shortages, reduced access to government healthcare services, and delay in medical supplies worsened. Puerto Rico’s governor Wanda Vazquez was forced to implement a full lockdown in the highland as one of the preventive measures. Most of the public places, including schools, parks, and government agencies, were locked, with the only systems left operating, including those related to medications, supply food chains, and businesses that were deemed necessary, including financial institutions, eldercare, and gas (Vidal et al., 2022). The mobility rate also increased, especially among Latino Americans, who are among the largest inhabitants of the highland.
The Puerto Rican government found it challenging to address these disparate impacts. For instance, the state has 63 hospitals under the management of the public and private sectors, and most of these hospitals are concentrated in urban areas (García et al., 2020). The population, therefore, experienced barriers in accessing medical services for Covid 19 outcomes. The influx of residents in urban hospitals significantly strained the medical facilities, which were already being overused (García et al., 2020).
Due to increased cases of Covid 19, the traveling system changed in Puerto Rico. Island restrictions and lockdowns led to a substantial decline in the number of flights to and from Puerto Rico by almost 60 percent (Carter & Tao, 2023). Also, traveling shifted from the reliance on public transportation to the use of private means as a result of the perceived exposure risk associated with the use of public means. People increasingly traveled for sports and leisure activities, especially those who had entered from other states, such as New York (Carter & Tao, 2023). Socio-economically disadvantaged populations faced substantial challenges in moving around the state.
Florida has been a unique attraction to most tourists due to its warm weather and highly regarded hotels, resorts, and beaches. Therefore, Florida acted as a driver for transmitting the disease beyond its borders (Zhu et al. 2021). Local groups and communities from diverse ethnicities and races succumbed to high infection levels. This, combined with the large population of the elderly, resulted in more than 2 million confirmed Covid 19 cases, with the number of deaths being approximately 33,000 by March 2021 (Zhu et al. 2021). Lockdown measures were initiated, encouraging people to keep social distance even though this was limited by the percentage of the population employed in services, median age, and increasing health expenditure. During the spring break, the Covid 19 positivity was influenced by several forces, including the number of inhabitants in each household and the proportion of the uninsured population aged 18 to 24 years (Zhu et al. 2021).
Areas such as South Florida became an epicenter of the virus. The healthcare system was over-strained due to the increased Covid 19 cases. The state leadership and healthcare department had to initiate interventions and processes for increased surveillance. For instance, Behavior Risk Surveillance System (BRFSS) was initiated by the Florida Department of Health to undertake population-based evaluations of health-seeking habits and prevention behaviors by the population (Gunderson et al., 2021). Increased population created healthcare constraints, including testing and overburdening of the Intensive Care Unit, which made it challenging to identify and monitor Covid 19 cases in time. The mortality rate increased by 1.5 percent, while the infection rate increased by 1.2 percent (Bernet, 2021). There was an increase in community-level poverty due to economic disparities.
The number of deaths attributed to Covid 19 in Florida was approximately 63,000, with the number of cases being 933,000, which made it the third most highly affected state in the United States (Staehler et al., 2022). Increased Covid 19 cases and deaths substantially affected the population’s socioeconomic status. Median household income decreased since the low-income communities who worked mainly in public-facing service occupations were left jobless. The community found it challenging to keep social distance and access quality healthcare services, which increased their vulnerability to Covid 19. It is reported that Florida had a 7.93 percent increase in Covid 19 cases, with its rate being 23 percent higher than the National average (Staehler et al., 2022). It reached a point when 20 percent of the new infections reported nationally came from Florida. The effects were severe among the high-poverty counties whose healthcare systems were less developed and could not address the increasing demand for healthcare services.
Methodology
Introduction
The study will use qualitative research methods to identify how Covid 19 Gentrification in New York impacted Florida and Puerto Rico. A questionnaire will be developed to facilitate primary data collection process. The study will also rely on document analysis, where data will be obtained from existing documents, including government publications, research articles, and updates from organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and CDC.
Study Area and Population
Florida is characterized by a large number of retirees, which is approximately 18 percent of the total population. South Eastern Florida has a diverse racial and ethnic group, including Hispanics, Blacks, and White non-Hispanics (Zhu et al. 2021). On the other hand, Puerto Rico is inhabited by citizens with full Citizenship of the US, with its relationship with the US referred to as unresolved colonial status. Cumulative effects of increasing wealth and income inequality, outmigration, and unemployment are significant challenges being experienced in Puerto Rico. It has been facing other challenges, including debt crisis and fiscal mismanagement, destruction resulting from disasters such as Hurricane Maria and earthquakes, poor social welfare infrastructures, and access to healthcare services (García et al., 2020). It has a large population of elderly aged 65 years and above, characterized by the high prevalence of chronic diseases such as Hypertension, diabetes, and obesity.
The study targets individuals forced to move from New York to other states during the Covid 19. It aims at creating an understanding on what motivated these movements and how these affected the gentrifying communities. The study also studies changes experienced in Florida and Puerto Rico during the Covid 19 and relates these changes to Covid 19 gentrification. A close follow-up is made on the policies and guidelines initiated at the time of the pandemic and how the general public responded to these changes at the different phases. Areas of interest in this study include reported cases of Covid 19 in Puerto Rico, Florida, and New York, deaths resulting from Covid 19, access to healthcare services, socio-economic disparities and infection patterns.
Sampling
Since the study aims at obtaining detailed information on how the Covid 19 Gentrification in New York impacted Florida and Puerto Rico, a nonrandom sampling technique will be used. This sampling technique is preferred since it does not need a complete survey frame; it is inexpensive, easy to conduct, and a faster method of obtaining primary data.
Data Collection
Demographic data on household size, socioeconomic characteristics, social vulnerability index, health access and coverage, and mortality rate during Covid 19 will be obtained from the CDC and the American Community Survey, which will be used in classifying the effects of Covid 19 gentrification in New York to Florida and Puerto Rico. For effective identification of Covid 19 gentrification impact in these states, past Covid 19 data on individual access to healthcare services, living standards, mortality, and morbidity rates will be obtained from the Department of Health and the CDC. Secondary data will be obtained from peer-reviewed articles, government publications, WHO, and CDC. The research will identify how the pandemic might have created social imbalances related to race, political preferences, or segregation.
Primary data will be collected by conducting a survey targeting individuals who were residents of Florida and Puerto Rico or migrated to these states during the Covid-19 and experienced the direct impacts of Covid-19 Gentrification in New York. A questionnaire will be designed to identify how these people’s lives were affected. Due to the diversity of the target population, the questionnaires will be distributed through online platforms to increase their outreach. Relevant data from these questionnaires will be that answered by individuals who lived in Puerto Rico or Florida during the pandemic for at least one month. Survey questions include how long an individual lived in either of these states between March 2020 and March 2021, how difficult it was for them to obtain healthcare services during the pandemic, and how the neighborhood’s density changed due to inward and outward movements.
Additional questions will seek to identify how individuals’ interaction was altered, especially with new residents moving into the neighborhood. Finally, social and economic challenges associated with gentrification will be explored. These include whether there was any notable rise in real estate prices, cost of living, recreational involvement, and business operations and whether there was any case of Covid 19 in the respondent’s household reported.
Results will be analyzed based on the notable changes in population density, involvement in recreational activities, change in neighborhoods, and reported cases of household deaths related to Covid 19. The presence of new residents in the neighborhood will be based on the question, “Was there any migration to your neighborhood during the Covid 19?” In addition to identifying the presence of new migrations during the pandemic, the study will also determine whether these migrations were permanent or temporary. Socio-economic changes will be evidenced by how people perceive the cost of living during the pandemic.
References
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Broitman, D. (2023). “Passive” Ecological Gentrification Triggered by the Covid-19 Pandemic. Urban Planning, 8(1), 312-321. https://doi.org/10.17645/up.v8i1.6015
Carter, L. C., & Tao, R. (2023). Evaluating COVID-19’s impacts on Puerto Rican travel behaviors. Geo-spatial Information Science, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1080/10095020.2022.2161426
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