national register nomination for boulevard park historic

diversity of size, quality, price range and configuration, their good access to mass transit
and commercial uses, close employment centers, and existing social infrastructure.
Even the term “gentrification” is questioned. Rypkema prefers “economic
integration,” a deliberate breakdown of Progressive ideas demanding distance between
economic classes. Separation of the poor has not worked, is undesirable, and is in
desperate need of reversal. Where class-separated gentrification causes more housing
vacancy, as identified by Peter Marcuse, preservation with economic integration reduces
housing vacancy while preserving low-income housing. By applying preservation
standards to low-income housing, the standard of living for all can be raised without
requiring relocation. Economic integration also prevents placing communities in the
uncomfortable position of trying to retain ghettoes and substandard, unsafe housing in the
name of preventing gentrification. Preservation of existing low-income housing is
typically also less expensive than creating new housing on other sites, potentially making
restoration more attractive to developers and cities with limited budgets. 51
Rypkema is equally sanguine about preservation in business districts. Because of
historic business districts’ typical proximity to historic residential areas, they create jobs
that are close to housing. When combined with the aforementioned housing strategies, it
becomes a potential solution to the phenomenon of service workers commuting to
gentrified neighborhoods. Because restored historic neighborhoods also attract tourists,
51 Rypkema, The Economics of Historic Preservation,p. 60-72
34