Eleni Kovatsis

Eleni Kovatsis

I chose two maps to show how the cost of housing in South Boston has changed, and more specifically how it has become more expensive. These maps are in terms of average gross rent for renter-occupied housing units. The map on the left shows South Boston in 1990 and the map on the right shows South Boston in 2013 (the most recent rent data available on Social Explorer). The difference in cost is quite clear and rather remarkable. It shows South Boston has become much more expensive to live in even just in the last 20 years. I even checked an inflation calculator to see if this could difference be a result of the dollar’s changing value, but $1 (1990) equals about $1.82 in 2013, and even doubling the 1990 rents doesn’t get you the same cost that is seen in recent years. (Note: The three red areas on the 2013 map are the housing projects (West Broadway Development, Mary Ellen McCormack, and Old Colony), and the yellow line is the route I walked).
The first photo I took when I got out of the T stop was of the sidewalk because someone had written Southie with a shamrock next to it in the cement when it was drying. This jumped out at me instantly since South Boston is always portrayed as having a very strong sense of community, and here in front of me was the community and its Irish heritage literally etched into the physical space of the neighborhood. (Taken along West Broadway heading east - I didn’t write down the intersection)
My second photo relates more to my maps, showing a set of some more newly renovated houses just off of East Broadway with the massive industrial factories in the background. However the looming factories don’t decrease property value, in fact they are located in one of the more expensive areas in Southie. This highlights the changes in South Boston, moving away from its industrial past and updating areas as ‘young professionals’ being moving in without totally removing markers of the past. In fact on the city of Boston’s website South Boston’s history and community are major selling points for the neighborhood.
(Taken at M street and East Broadway - the green marker on my map)