In February of 2021, my family and I took our first trip to Puerto Rico in over ten years. My mother thought it would be best to book an Airbnb in Rincon, a popular tourist city by the beach on the west coast to stay in at first, and then visit my family in San German for the last few days of our trip. This Airbnb was beautiful, to say the least– a huge inground pool, 6 bedrooms, a 5-minute walk to the beach; it was incredible. The entire neighborhood was like
this. Towering mini-mansions surrounded by palm trees and iron gates. However, I noticed something during the 2.5-hour drive from San Juan Airport to Rincon. Endless plots of bulldozed land, dilapidated houses with for-sale signs, and emptying apartments with dumpsters in the front yard; all on the way to this rich and secluded paradise. This begs the question: what is happening on this island?
Today we are going to take a look beneath the glamorous surface of beautiful condos and blossoming cities and discover the effects of gentrification in Puerto Rico; but first, what is gentrification?
Gentrification is defined by Oxford Languages as “the process whereby the character of a poor urban area is changed by wealthier people moving in, improving housing, and attracting new businesses, typically displacing current inhabitants in the process.” As someone with Puerto Rican heritage who has seen these effects firsthand, I can say with confidence that this operation is changing the island– and not in a good way. Despite the glitz and glamour it projects, gentrifying Puerto Rican neighborhoods leads to a plethora of issues affecting native islanders, and we will discuss three major negative effects of this gentrification: the environmental danger to coastal climate, increases in the cost of living, and the displacement of native islanders leading to a loss of culture.
The first point we will dive into is the negative impact on the local coastal climates. There’s no doubt that an island relies massively on coastal environments and resources, but it’s a large chunk of the population, and it’s not just manufacturers and construction. According to an
article from theconversation.com, “About one-third of households in these communities rely on coastal goods for at least part of their income, while more than two-thirds rely on them as food sources.” High tourism rates call for a mass overhaul of natural land, and this land is publicly owned beaches and mangroves that are important to not only the people but the wildlife too. In some communities, citizens aren’t even allowed to harvest wood for boats and housing, while huge contracting companies can plow through acres and acres of forest.
On top of the environmental aspect, gentrifying Puerto Rican neighborhoods leads to my second point; increases in the cost of living for already struggling islanders. With an economy reliant on tourism, the push for luxury apartments and Airbnb has never been so high. Despite this, a large percentage of Puerto Rico’s population is impoverished. The NYT article
The Rush for a Slice of Paradise in Puerto Rico states that “Forty-three percent of Puerto Ricans live under the federal poverty level.” That’s a staggering statistic, and it only grows with the buying and reselling of property and Airbnb neighborhoods.
This real estate rush has to come from somewhere. And so, like a domino effect, this brings us to our third and final point; displacement of native Puerto Ricans due to unfair tax breaks. Post-COVID pandemic, the tax breaks PR offered drove wealthy investors to the island's major cities, but as we’re seeing now, it’s started to expand across the island. According to an LA Times article, “A former Rhode Island resident and failed gubernatorial candidate, Feroce moved to Puerto Rico in 2019 to take advantage of Act 60, tax breaks implemented by the local government that incentivizes foreigners to move to the island by offering zero taxes on passive income and capital gains…These incentives are not available to Puerto Rican residents.” This was installed to bring new money to the island, and it’s working, but it’s pushing Puerto Ricans out with property price increases.
In closing, gentrification is a major threat to Puerto Rico. From environmental concerns with construction to expensive living costs for a struggling population to tax breaks that don't benefit the people, it is clear this is causing harm to the island. Of course, the heart of the island is still active and beating, but gentrification makes it harder and harder to keep it alive. And this concept is not only a threat to my small island in the Caribbean, but it’s everywhere. It is so important to preserve culture within ethnic societies, and I hope that one day on a future visit to Borinquen, I see a revolution of the landscape, locals, and culture my mother tells stories of.
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