The Good and Bad of Change

I learned a lot about the good and bad of change from the perspectives of customers and vendors I encountered during my numerous visits to markets. I went to a thrift market near the R house. I was speaking to one of the vendors inside R house, and they were worried about how many workers these days have to come from far away, as if the city they work in has priced them out. Some other vendors I spoke with at the flea market said they liked the investment and safety improvements around the city. However, others talked about rising costs and how their neighborhood stores and smaller street vendors have been pushed out by gentrification. One older woman at the Northeast market, who was shopping next to me and trying to buy some eggs, said she felt hopeful about the improvements being made, but also that it was a hollow feeling, as if the city were changing. She lived near the senior center that’s by campus (Pleasant View Gardens Senior and Townhomes). She talked about how the area around campus has changed a lot, and it’s become difficult for people to have a non-Hopkins space to go to. She also talked about how she felt like investors from outside were coming in and changing the city and her hometown. This reminded me of how true innovation has to include the voices of those living through the change, not just those designing it from afar.