“For many, East Harlem was the ghetto, and the idea was to leave. But though people moved to the South Bronx and other parts of the city, their cultural life was in El Barrio. They have a Puerto Rican Day Parade and parties in the Bronx, but [it] is never the same as the one in El Barrio, because El Barrio is the cradle of Puerto Ricans… and I have lived in Harlem and the Bronx, and I still have never felt as good as I felt in El Barrio.” -Felix Leo Campos p 40

Urbanization is a major concentration in the study of urban political economy because it studies how economic factors, such as production and consumption, is related to the law and government. Urbanization is the physical growth of cities in “revitalized” urban areas, which results in gentrification because these “up and coming” neighborhoods’ demographic changes when middle and upper class start to move in, displacing the poor. In doing this, the working class and poor move to different areas of the cities and the whole cycle starts over. Even though, revitalization of affordable and public housing is a selling point for those who are being pushed out of these neighborhoods, it in a way  focuses on the containment of the lower class racial and ethnic minorities.

Now, I’m all for public housing and social programs that help to those who need it, I think it is part of being a “democratic” society, but my problem lies with the government only allowing “certain types” of minorities into these neighborhoods that are deemed as charitable. Racial and ethnic minority caucuses allow minorities to feel a sense of connection to those around them, whether they came to the United States voluntarily or involuntarily. There is cultural connection that you do not get when you are the only face of color in a sea of white. There is a feeling of content and happiness being around people that look at you, not having to be paranoid or worried that people are questioning your belongingness ( is that a word?). However, By pushing people of their homes because of their class is the government saying that you are not worthy of having a space to feel a comfortable. Since you do not fit the “image” of a minority, are stuck somewhere in the middle by both mainstream society that only wants you when it's convenient for you or even ostracized by one’s people because they have internalized this image of what it means to be Dominican or Mexican or Black.