warner.qxd
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It would be interesting and beneficial to see the Reader’s resources address solutions to the residential aspects of diversifying neighborhoods where rents and property values are increasing. I could have replaced the whole second half of that last sentence with “gentrification,” but I hoped to momentarily retain the attention of those righteous souls who tout diversification except, of course, for diversifying with higher income families and therefore regard “gentrification” as some sort of plague.
Now that I have lost those people anyway, I will draw yet another distinction between renters and home owners. Renters (I am being very careful here), while certainly an important, upstanding, pleasant, and altogether welcome segment of the community, are generally speaking a more transient group with less attachment to the community than home owners. There is no doubt that some of the most selfless and active people I know in the neighborhood are renters, but by definition they can pack and leave without a backward glance or financial consideration when their lease is up, while home owners must make a long-term commitment or suffer financially.
Wicker Park
