In 2009, I, a then-resident of Washington, DC, was overjoyed when I heard news that Verizon planned to deploy fiber-optic internet service in the District. Five minutes of impatient Googling soon uncovered the truth; due to a variety of concerns, FiOS would not be available in the inner District (where I lived) until 2013 at the earliest. Part of the delay was due to the logistical nightmare of ripping up streets to lay down new cable. Much of it, however, stemmed from the fact that demand already existed in the easier-to-reach residential and aerospace corridors in suburban Virginia.
An aside, for those who have never visited: Washington, DC is a vibrant, historic, and deeply troubled city. Though it has made significant strides in the past two decades, it is one of the most racially and economically segregated cities in the country. The city was the epicenter of the civil rights movement in the 1960s and 70s, and a combination of riots, social upheaval, and white flight left the city with a predominantly African-American population and an unsettling poverty rate. Between 1960 and 1970 the percentage of the District’s population that was African-American jumped from 53.9% to 71.1%, where it hovered until the most recent census (at which point it dropped to about 50%). [1] DC's black population is concentrated primarily in the northeast and southeast quadrants of the city. (The northwest quadrant – often derisively referred to as “Upper North-White” – is largely Caucasian.) Poverty, while always an issue, has recently become even worse; in 2009, 26.8% of African Americans in the District lived below the poverty line. [2]
The District has had some success with the urban pioneer model of gentrification, though it has not been without controversy. The largely African-American U Street corridor, once home to countless jazz clubs, black-owned businesses, and the capitol’s African-American social center, has become the new “hip” place to live for young white urbanites. [3](Tellingly, the first thing a visitor sees upon exiting the U Street subway station is a Starbucks.) Traditional, real estate-driven gentrification has become a symbol of racial tension within the city, and any new attempts to revitalize communities should be done with an eye toward lifting the boats of existing residents, rather than sweeping them aside.
Making high-speed internet available to residents in poverty-stricken areas (such as the southeastern Anacostia neighborhood, recently a target for redevelopment) could function as an inclusionary amenity which avoids many of the pitfalls of traditional gentrification. Such a process typically results in the displacement of a neighborhood's original residents as property values rise. However, the availability of high-speed internet would allow the existing population more economic opportunity to form small businesses and improve educational opportunities, even as the amenity attracts new demographics.
There's compelling evidence to show that the attraction would indeed be strong: residents of the northern Virginia suburbs face a heavy tax burden compared to their urban neighbors, and less access to public transportation. Moreover, downtown areas of the District offer a wide variety of nightlife, as well as the "edgy" appeal of living in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. The availability of fiber-optic internet could spur business development in depressed areas and lure young, tech-savvy residents out of the relatively bland, family-oriented suburbs and into blighted neighborhoods as “urban pioneers.” Rather than artist’s colonies, Washington could thus promote a network of “tech colonies” that combine access to valuable technological commodities with low taxes, affordable housing options, and “Skid Row” appeal.
However, it’s unlikely that this would attract more long-term residents or those with families; decades of urban blight have left the inner District without many basic amenities. DC’s public schools are famously low-achieving, and maintaining a car in the District is a hair-raising (and costly) experience. The District contains only a handful of full-service grocery stores, and those tend to cater to the very upper (Whole Foods) and very lower (corner-store discount grocer) ends of the income spectrum. However, if DC does manage to lure young, tech-savvy professionals into its blighted areas, this could likely shift over time.
DC’s population also exhibits a high turnover rate, which could work to its advantage. Because many young professionals are tied to the government, they often cycle out with administrations, or as they transition to new points in their career. The youth population of DC is highly mobile, and tends to stay for only a few years. Because of this rapid turnover, generational shifting in neighborhoods is accelerated, and if a “tech colony” does take root, dramatic effects could be achieved in a short period of time.
Of course, the dangers of gentrification are inherent in any attempt to “revitalize” neighborhoods. While not perfect, high-speed internet may end up providing the most socially equitable path for neighborhood redevelopment.
[1] Historical Census Statistics On Population Totals By Race, 1790 to 1990, and By Hispanic Origin, 1970 to 1990, For Large Cities And Other Urban Places In The United States (US Census Bureau)
[2] District of Columbia: S1703. Selected Characteristics of People at Specified Levels of Poverty in the Past 12 Months (US Census Bureau)
[3] Surviving Gentrification Along the U Street Corridor (Grassroots Media DC)
I remember we talked a little bit about the FCC's Lifeline program in our discussion of this blog post. I don't know if you've seen it, but the FCC just (unofficially) announced reforms to the program, including the establishment of a pilot program for broadband adoption: http://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-reforms-modernizes-lifeline-program-low-income-americans .
Posted by: Noah | February 01, 2012 at 03:19 PM