From Smith Productions Summer 2007, City Parks Foundation--
This video shows how the process of gentrification has changed Manhattan's Lower East Side neighborhood over the years. One woman who is interviewed is devastated that her elementary school is closing. Gentrification is described as "the process of class transformation, as an uprising of working class space is used to serve the needs of the middle and upper class people." Alphabet City is used as an example, since it used to be considered a slum and is now a trendy part of the East Village. During the late 1990's, the Lower East Side witnessed a sharp rise in rents, as apartments were renovated and abandoned store fronts became bustling with new restaurants and nightclubs. Rent has soared, as lost artistic influences disappear, and cleaner streets make way for lower crime.