Gentrification is both a blessing and a curse. It breathes new life into otherwise forgotten neighbourhoods and revitalizes areas that were rundown and decrepit. Crime rates plummet, new businesses open and people flock from all around to settle in and experience the trendy new surroundings.

Think Brooklyn in New York, Vancouver’s East End, Brixton in South London, or more recently, the Laureles neighbourhood of Medellín, Colombia.

Once rampant with crime, few from the outside would venture in. Now, they’re some of the most desired neighbourhoods in the world.

But nothing comes without cost.

Gentrification, with all of its benefits, isn’t without cost. Literally. The tragic downside comes in the form of living costs. Rent increases and the overall cost of living increases significantly, quickly forcing long-term residents elsewhere.

Gentrification doesn’t fix neighbourhoods and their communities — it displaces them.

This isn’t new, and it isn’t surprising. It’s been happening for decades and people are well aware of it.

The problem that I see is the misplaced blame.

This all stems from a story I read a while back about Laureles, in Medellín. In recent years, it’s become an incredibly popular area among backpackers and digital nomads. The article in question pointed to the foreign visitors as the cause of the gentrification — as if somehow the physical existence of more money caused prices to increase.

This is bullshit, and little more than a smoke bomb to deflect blame away from those truly responsible.

I’m writing this from a coffee shop, sipping on a $6 latte. It’s pricey, but not over-the-top pricey.

Say I had walked in here with several thousand dollars of cash in my pocket. Would the coffee shop automatically charge me more simply because I had the money?

Of course not.

But if everyone regularly started coming in waving stacks of cash, the cafe owners might decide to raise prices overall because they know their clientele can afford it.

The patrons with money aren’t increasing the prices — the cafe owners are. It’s correlation, not causation.

The same can be said with gentrification.

Business owners and landlords in Laureles don’t need to charge any more for products, services or rent. An influx of new money didn’t force their hands. That was a choice they made because they saw an opportunity to make more money.

This isn’t a bad thing. I’m not criticizing capitalism or the idea that businesses and investors should be able to take whatever steps they choose to make money. I’m criticizing the idea that those who spend the money are to blame for the price increases.

Gentrification happens because people realize that they can spend considerably less money by moving to a less desirable neighbourhood. Brixton, East Van and Brooklyn were not nice places to live only two decades ago. Medellín was one of the most dangerous cities on earth as recently as 2012.

People didn’t move to these places for the luxury. They did it because they could afford it.

They didn’t move in and ask their landlords if they could pay more for rent. They didn’t beg their local pub to charge them more for an IPA.

Gentrification happens because of the landlords and business owners taking advantage of the influx of new money.

The process isn’t all bad, nor is it all good. It simply is. It happens and will continue to happen.

But when it does, and we focus on the plight of those long-term residents displaced from their homes, remember who is actually to blame.