Morgan Gage, English + Visual and Dramatic Arts, Class of ’23
Brief Summary: How can we reimagine literary infrastructures to better meet the needs of a gentrifying city? This paper highlights the benefits of moving towards a “literary ecosystem” in Houston, a city gentrifying faster than any other in Texas. Further, it explores the relationship between housing insecurity, health, and literary community in the context of COVID-19, while also proposing solutions that could help the city and its literary community adapt to the present pandemic.
When I began my research for this paper, I found plenty of articles touting the benefits of community centers for youth in urban areas, old news reels about building community centers for queer engagement, and more, but it was difficult to find anything proposed as an alternative to the community center model— one that is quickly becoming outdated given the growing plague of gentrification. I propose that we shift away from the community center model and towards a literary ecosystem because, while we should continue to combat gentrification, the immediate and widespread consequences of communities being pushed out cannot be ignored. Additionally, I will examine the possibility of exacerbated housing insecurity caused by COVID-19.
In areas around downtown Houston, the median income increased by 67% from 2000 to 2015, making Houston, a city already known for economic stratification, the fastest-gentrifying major Texas city (Douglas). According to a Pew Research study in 2012, Houston faces the most intense economic segregation within the city after New York City and Philadelphia (Douglas). This is the core of the issue that Tony Diaz of Nuestra Palabra discussed in his visit to our class, as he highlighted the impacts of Houston’s imbalances of power and wealth on the Latinx arts community. With communities being pushed from their homes by the rising cost of living, they can no longer access the very facilities designed to reach them, leaving hosts of people disconnected from vital resources and avenues for connection. This is why a literary ecosystem is not only preferable to the community center model but also necessary for the survival of the arts.
To contextualize the issues brought on by the rising cost of living, the Baker Institute for Public Policy reported in 2019 that in the Third Ward alone, roughly one-third of residents predicted that they would have to relocate within the next year. 69% of respondents who believed they would have to move in the near future reported that it was directly because of the rising price of rent (Douglas). The prices of rent will only continue to soar as The Ion, a project of the Rice Management Company, begins construction. Ryan LaVasseur, managing director at Rice Management Co., claims, “[Rice Management Co.] want[s] to best understand what it is that the community wants and we want to find the right people that can execute on this work” (Martin). Despite this, the Rice Management Co. has proceeded to enter a community benefits agreement with Houston, cutting out the Houston Coalition for Equitable Development without Displacement, the community group that advocated for the agreement to begin with, in the process (Morgan). With modes of slowing the impact of gentrification failing, it is all the more vital to focus on ways to ensure that community groups remain accessible, and the best way to do so is to establish a network of literary and arts initiatives throughout Houston.
One example to look towards in establishing a network of accessible literary initiatives is Inprint. With classes aimed towards underserved populations of Houston including workshops in prisons in Harris County and readings with ticket prices kept at a steady $5 despite inflation and high prices of most live events in Houston, Inprint remains true to its goals of being accessible to the best of its abilities. The project that shows the possible reach of literary initiatives throughout Houston is the Inprint Poetry Buskers: poets composing poems on demand on typewriters often at large events and festivals (Inprint). The reach possible with projects like this is wide as it is easy to set up shop in communities around Houston and bring a spot of literary enrichment. Similar pop-up events could be explored by other literary groups, allowing consistent service to underserved communities in Houston without a permanent location hindering the accessibility of the events.
However, this proposal is a supplement to, not a substitute for, spaces dedicated to the arts. A literary ecosystem, as Diaz proposed, is necessary for the future of a thriving literary community in Houston. The exact shape this will take is impossible to determine, and I am able to admit my limitations. I am not familiar enough with the practicalities of establishing non-profits (which very well may not be the future of literary enrichment due to their limitations, as Diaz discussed) or of managing and inhabiting spaces dedicated to the arts. However, I believe that having multiple locations in neighborhoods around Houston is vital to the future of literature in the city. The community center model is appealing due to the ability to concentrate several events and spaces in one location that can be reliably found by community members. However, in the face of gentrification and accessibility issues created by geographic location, multiple literary arenas rather than one center would do more to benefit Houston residents. Locations along METRO routes would make these spaces more accessible for many low-income individuals and students. Further, several organizations in Houston working together to create programmings that supplement each other and serve the largest number of communities possible would be beneficial to the future of Houston literary life as a whole. When events are concentrated in a few areas, people are excluded by the realities of geography and transportation within a city built for cars.
The economic recession brought on by the pandemic could possibly exacerbate issues of housing insecurity. With many sources of income cut off and hourly workers facing a decrease in their number of shifts due to closures and lack of demand, those fearing relocation or losing stable housing due to the rising cost of living may find themselves grappling not only with higher rent but also with lower incomes than before. The stimulus check provided by the federal government is nothing more than a band-aid in ensuring housing security when other expenses are taken into account. Besides that, the text of the CARES act precludes undocumented immigrants from receiving assistance. In the economic recession of 2008, nationwide homeless populations increased with unemployment peaking at 10% (Sard); in 2020, unemployment rates have reached 14.7%, and the danger of a repeated crisis of homelessness is clear (United States). While it is not guaranteed that levels of homelessness within the city of Houston will increase, we must anticipate it especially as reports suggest that, despite federal bans against evictions, they have continued to take place within Texas (Edwards).
With homeless populations already more at risk of falling victim to COVID-19 due to the difficulty of practicing recommended social distancing and hygiene measures even within shelters, it is vital to combat housing insecurity. While the economic conditions resulting from COVID-19 are possibly causing housing insecurity, homelessness leads to an increased risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19. It is this positive feedback loop that is particularly dangerous. The continued spread of the virus will lead to measures to protect the public health at the price of economic activity. The downturn in economic activity will further cause the spread of the virus. Supporting those facing housing insecurity is necessary if there is going to be an end to the pandemic, and the best ways to do that would be to provide products such as sanitizers and face masks to shelters and to distribute to those facing homelessness within the city while preventing people from losing their access to housing through the height of the pandemic as well as while the job market recovers afterwards.
Moving forward, we should also look to the increase in online events as an option for arts involvement that is inclusive beyond geographic and physical limitations. At Rice for instance, several scheduled speakers are relocating discussions from on-campus to Zoom, and the Rice Players, a student-run theater organization, produced art at a distance through a staged reading of a student-written play presented as a radio show. Book readings, author discussions, and writing workshops, among other events, could move to an online format to bridge the gaps created by shifting communities. However, like pop-up events, this should not be considered a substitute for in-person connection, and we must take care to remember that lack of internet access could lead to exclusion.
Although housing insecurity and its relation to literary community is my main focus, the role and necessity of community is particularly evident as people scramble to find meaningful social interaction while practicing distancing. Online forays into replicating typical arts events in a digital format is indicative of that, but the loss of social connection and typical sources of community has had a heavy toll on mental health. Noting factors such as job loss and dealing with the impact of the virus itself, several health organizations including the Mayo Clinic, the CDC, and the Rice Counseling & Wellbeing Center have discussed the impact that isolation is having on the mental health of the population. Fostering community within the arts as we move past this crisis must be a priority as we try to reestablish and seek out new connections in the wake of social isolation.
The future of literature in Houston is uncertain, but it is obvious that, in a city that pushes minorities from their neighborhoods at a faster rate than any other Texas city, there is a need for a wider network of literary events and spaces across the city than what the community center model allows for. Combating gentrification is vital. Ensuring access to stable housing is vital. Increasing internet access is vital. However, we should explore future literary resources and ways to connect arts communities with these inequities in mind and account for them by offering a wider range of opportunities to engage with the arts within Houston.
Works Cited
Douglas, Erin. “Houston Gentrifying Faster than Other Texas Cities, Fed Analysis Finds.” HoustonChronicle.com, Houston Chronicle, 8 Jan. 2020, www.houstonchronicle.com/business/economy/article/Houston-gentrifying-faster-than-other-Texas-14957465.php.
Edwards, Briana. “Texas Is One of 4 States Where Landlords Are Evicting People despite Federal Ban.” KPRC, KPRC Click2Houston, 16 Apr. 2020, www.click2houston.com/news/local/2020/04/16/texas-is-one-of-4-states-where-landlords-are-evicting-people-despite-federal-ban/.
Martin, Florian. “Gentrification A Big Concern For Some, As Houston Builds Its Innovation District.” Houston Public Media, 13 Dec. 2019, www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/in-depth/2019/12/12/353960/gentrification-a-big-concern-for-some-in-the-community-as-houston-builds-its-innovation-district/.
Morgan, Rynd. “Ion Community Benefits Agreement Shifts to City of Houston.” The Rice Thresher, 5 Feb. 2020, www.ricethresher.org/article/2020/02/ion-community-benefits-agreement-shifts-to-city-of-houston.
Inprint, inprinthouston.org/for-readers/inprint-poetry-buskers/.
Sard, Barbara. “Number of Homeless Families Climbing Due To Recession.” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 11 Oct. 2017, www.cbpp.org/research/number-of-homeless-families-climbing-due-to-recession.
United States. Department of Labor. Unemployment Rate. Washington: BLS, 2020.
