Boyle Heights and Gentrification: A Tale of Two Possibilities ~ An Editorial

Photographer: Daniel Aguilera

We must hold real estate developers accountable for responsible development. I present a strategy for Boyle Heights in Los Angeles, CA in my first published editoral in the debut issue of the Brooklyn and Boyle newspaper: Boyle Heights and Gentrification: A Tale of Two Possibilities.

Originally titled: Boyle Heights is Not for Sale

As I walk the streets of Boyle Heights, I see our people, I feel our energy of a neighborhood in motion. You can't help but sense the vitality of a community embracing itself in rediscovery. Despite the tumultuous Real Estate market, property prices have increased in value but they have not priced us out or pushed us out. We are still here. We are reviving, rejuvenating and taking back our neighborhood and showing the rest of LA the beauty of Boyle Heights.

I see families walking together hand in hand at night and get a tingly feeling of gusto as I see the newly wed couple: the father with his young wife and their infant crossing the street at 10pm, where else in LA do you see that? Only today in Boyle Heights.

Photographer: Daniel Aguilera
I also see new construction activity, shiny new storefronts, and the newly revamped state of the art hospital, White Memorial. I'm not a native to LA, but I have heard the horror stories of the old hospital, before one of our own, Oscar de La Hoya, decided to give back to his community, because it also needs to be about giving back to the community. Oscar helped make the hospital into an institution that could actually service our community.

The best part about the change that is going on here is that there is only a tinge of the dreaded baggage that gentrification tends to pack. New businesses are coming to the community and improvements to existing businesses are also being made. Property values were on the rise before the whole housing market crashed, but the people who have grown with the community and which the community has been their lifeblood are not being pushed out in the way that gentrification has impacted other communities in growth and in need of renewal and improvements. The new middle class people who are coming to the neighborhood are for the most part people who had grown up in the neighborhood and had left and that are now returning on their own accord.

Call it nostalgia or simple economic sense the neighborhood kids are coming back to the neighborhood now that they are all grown up. Boyle Heights is nourishing itself, to ensure that the kids and grand kids of the abuelitos today will continue to want to come back to the neighborhood, and spend their money in the neighborhood. If you want a nice dinner there are places to go now, the amenities are here, there are choices now, there is no need to have to deal with traffic to have a glass of wine when Eastside Love is just right around the corner.

We are undergoing a renaissance and the Boyle Heights renaissance is inclusive, the community is holding change accountable. Gentrification should be about discovery not about greed and displacement, and our rejuvenation is about discovery and making our community better. Sure there will be sour deals, but you as a community member need to speak up if you suspect and see injustice otherwise you are just part of the problem. If we are not going to fight for our neighborhood who will? We know what we most need, so let's make it happen, don't let the evil part of gentrification seep through our streets. We have kept this community alive for so long don't let big money come and taunt us with perceived goods—Question and Verify. Remember the examples our abuelitos and abuelitas have already set, it is not just about us today, it's about our survival, it's about our success, it's about our future, it’s about the future of the neighborhood.

This is our neighborhood, this is our home. We can not become sell outs, we can not let our neighborhood sell out. Gentrification will take the best of our neighborhood if we let it. Lord lead us not into temptation: let us hold our politicians accountable; let us hold businesses accountable; let us hold institutions accountable; let us hold ourselves accountable. Let there be a transformation but let us not lose our essence.

21st Century Celebrities

Need we say more...Me and the Boys:

Evan Handler, from Sex In The City










Stan Chambers from KTLA







Google Search them!

Skirts ... Complementing the Goods

Why the skirt? And why do women still wear it and men don't?

My theory: It really boils down to the fact that the circular cut of a skirt, just like it was in the 1700s and early 1900s, has always emphasized and complemented the curvaceous body of a woman. And men, whether gay or straight, don't have an interest in wearing something that has such an innate feminine quality.

The Delphos Gown Circa 1907

Quite possibly the first patented fashion gown, Mariano Fortuny patented the world's Delphos gown from his office at the Palazzo d' Orfei in Venice.

The Delphos gown is a direct descendant of the classical Greek chiton. It was made in fine silks, dyed in effervescent colors, hand-pleated and it falls in a sleek column line from the shoulder to the heel.

Truly a classic modern design, 100 years later, the Delphos gown is still in fashion! 

Death To Cookie Cutter Creativity

Natural flowing curves use to be rare in buildings.  Once upon a time only the masters would attempt to conquer this inherent feat. However it seems as though more architects are attempting to add more curvature, it seems to be the new fad, but then again most new architecture seems to mimic each other, why? 

I can't help but ask myself where has all the creativity gone? Is the Architecture industry also suffering from the notorious copycat epidemic that's attacking the fashion industry? Or are architects putting creativity to side for the sake of getting design approval and collect their piece of the pie?

You want examples, just look around, everything is starting to look the same. This needs to stop. Our cities are not monolithic, there are different factors and each city has different needs and there is no reason why laziness should be condoned in creativity. Sure there is something to be said about street scape context and continuity. In these rough economic times when construction activity and real estate transactions are low it would behoove developers and architects to keep in mind that customers are not made out of stone either. I can appreciate competition and the effectiveness of the market to generate better products as a result. Unfortunately,  in most of the recent cases the quality in urban and rural development is at best mediocre with big arrows pointing to the big sign that reads: COPYCAT.

Under Construction the New LA Police Headquarters…

"Bad Boys, Bad Boys whatcha gonna do when they come for you?" What are you going to do when you have to go to the new police headquarters currently under construction in downtown Los Angeles, because it is a despicably hideous structure? It is an absolute disgrace not just financially because of the incompetent and thieving construction managers and contractors they have hired, but also aesthetically.

I was driving by the site last week and noticed the glass facade, which is the only part that really merits any architectural grace. But as I took the whole structure in, I noticed that it is just simply gross.

My intent is not to offend, but certain things just don't make sense to me. For instance, how can any respectable architect design something like this? The contrast of the glass facade with the light peachy stone facade is awkward and clearly not the best choice.  The mistake here is obvious, the stone's use and color encroaches on the refined beauty of the pattern.

Or even worse how can a client planning committee approve something with these characteristics? What kind of taste does the Mayor and his team have? What about the police commissioner, how does he feel about this atrocious building?

Personally, I am ashamed that my tax dollars have to go towards something like this. Buildings cost a lot of money and for the cost of this project they could have done something much nicer, they should seek real professional help, they should hire me as their aesthetics consultant and I know more citizens will be happy with how government spends everyones well-earned tax dollars.

Home is Where ME Makes It

How do we know it's home? 

How do we feel at home? 

How does it feel to be home?

It's about comfort, you just know when it's right. The beauty is that home can really be anywhere, it doesn't have to be in a constructed structure, the structure just makes it a house or an apartment, not a home. After all haven't you ever wondered why the words "house" and "home" exist? A house is an architectural structure created by a construction team. A home is created by a person or a set of persons putting their things and feelings into their space, it is their creation. A house can be empty or full but a Home is always full.  

I've been in transition, traveling from place to place and I'm still at home most of the time. I look at stuff, clothes, books, make-up and other essentials and they all make me feel at home. My clothes especially make me feel at home, and what I wear can influence my mood and behavior. What can I say, it's hard not to wander at Home.