What People Get Wrong About Gentrification

To many wealthy individuals, gentrification is merely the revitalization of dilapidated urban spaces, which includes making neighborhoods more clean and safe, attracting businesses, increasing public services, and improving infrastructure. However, these same people fail to realize that these improvements rarely benefit low-income residents and often end up pushing them out of their own communities.

But why is it that gentrification disproportionately affects minorities the most? The answer lies in historical policies like redlining that kept black people and other minorities in substandard urban neighborhoods, while white people were able to move to nicer suburban areas. White families had more opportunities to accumulate wealth through home ownership, building generational wealth. On the other hand, minorities were stuck in disinvested neighborhoods—places that the government and businesses had abandoned.

As urban geographer Tom Slater said, "gentrification is the spatial expression of economic inequality." Young, single professionals and artists are drawn to these poor, urban areas due to their affordability and unique charm. Real estate investors and developers then start recognizing the potential for profit in these neighborhoods because of the changing demographic—the same neighborhoods that have been neglected for decades. They then turn old buildings and renovate them, turning them into upscale housing and commercial units. This improves the quality of the neighborhood but causes rising rent prices and property values. Local residents are then unable to keep up and are forced to move out of their neighborhoods.

Some argue that the increased economic development these changes bring can improve the standard of living for all residents, not just the new, affluent ones. But that's impossible when minorities, who have been economically disadvantaged for decades, are unable to keep up with the rising cost of living.

Mitigating the negative effects of gentrification will require a multifaceted approach including community engagement and government policy changes. 

Enacting policies requiring developers to include affordable housing and creating affordable housing programs helps protect low-income residents by keeping housing costs low.

Changing zoning and housing regulations encourages mixed-used developments and multi-family homes. This ensures that neighborhoods remain economically diverse and increases available houses.

Housing displacement is one issue, but social and cultural displacement is often ignored. By advocating for and funding local businesses to help them stay open, longstanding businesses remain part of the neighborhood, helping residents feel a part of their community.

Gentrification speaks to many social injustices in society, but it doesn't have to be a zero-sum game. We can improve urban spaces without pushing out local residents by advocating for policies that keep housing costs low. Preserving the unique character and history of these communities allows for the celebration of cultural and economic diversity, the very backbone of American values and urban communities around the world.