In the Face of Gentrification: Case Studies of Local Efforts to Mitigate Displacement
Concern, and anger, over gentrification has grown in communities across the country as housing rental and sales prices have soared. Balancing the revitalization of neighborhoods while reducing the risk of displacement of low-income families poses a challenge for city officials and housing practitioners. In this study, the authors present strategies used by nonprofit organizations, for-profit developers, and city agencies to ensure low- to-moderate-income residents can live in revitalizing and gentrifying neighborhoods. Strategies are drawn from case studies of the following neighborhoods in 2003: Bartlett Park (St. Petersburg, Florida), Oak Park (Sacramento, California), Reynoldstown (Atlanta, Georgia), Figueroa Corridor (Los Angeles, California), Central Area (Seattle, Washington), and Uptown (Chicago, Illinois). The study considers the impact of timing on strategy selection and implementation to untangle whether certain approaches work better in different housing-market contexts.