KPCC to Host Gentrification Forum--Let's Talk About It

What does gentrification mean to you?

That question will be the topic of discussion during a KPCC-hosted forum at Aldama Elementary School on Thursday, Feb. 28 from 7-8:30 p.m. 

The panel discussion will be moderated by CSU Long Beach Associate Professor of Sociology Oliver Wang. The panel will also include Los Angeles Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne, WORKS(Women Organizing Resources Knowledge Services) President Channa Grace and Occidental College Professor of Sociology President Jan Lin. 

Admission for the forum is free, but attendees must RSVP here.  

Highland Park is surely a neighborhood in transition. 

In January, real estate brokerage Redfin projected that Highland Park would become the nation's hottest real estate market in 2013. An influx of new residents have been drawn to the community for its affordable craftsman homes and the new shops and galleries on York Boulevard. 

At the same time, Highland Park remains by and large a working-classic Hispanic neighborhood--and that still shines through in everything from its values, to its food to its street art. 

The transition hasn't always been easy for Highland Park. In the comments section of Patch, anecdotes of longtime community members feeling overlooked are just as common as newcomers feeling unwelcome. 

Meanwhile, the struggles of local public schools remain a major challenge for Highland Park that too often doesn't factor into conversations about gentrification's potential benefits. 

Before the forum, which I'll be attending, I'd like to hear from readers what they feel about gentrification. Has it made your life any better? Any worse? How would you steer the ship, if you could?

Longtime residents, what would you like newcomers to know about your Highland Park? 

Newcomers, what would you like longtime residents to know about you?

Tell us in the comments.