i-D, June 10, 2019: Roots picnic attendees on Philadelphia’s gentrification
Over the weekend, 25,000 people gathered in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park to attend the Roots Picnic, an annual music and cultural festival hosted and headlined by the legendary Philadelphia band, The Roots. In the 12 years since The Roots began hosting the picnic, the city has undergone quite a lot of changes both physically and economically.
A recent study conducted by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, listed Philadelphia as one of seven cities leading gentrification efforts in America. The study also revealed that black and Latino renters in the city have experienced higher eviction rates due to extreme increases in rental prices. Gentrification in the city has caused a significant amount of turmoil between native neighborhood residents and new wealthier residents, most of whom are white. The topic has created a greater racial divide despite these racial groups living in closer proximity to one another.
