Research Alert!: Gentrification

Symposium: When Gentrification Comes Knocking-Navigating Social Dynamics in Changing Neighborhoods, NeighborWorks Training Institute Minneapolis, MN 20 April 05

Definition of Gentrification: influx of wealthier people into a community, which leads to increases in rent/property values and changes in the community's character and culture. Has both pros and cons. What remains fairly unstudied are the social stresses that come with gentrification. It appears that success comes from creating strong social ties between old and new neighbors before the negative effects of gentrification become unmanageable.

Characteristics of Gentrification (Freeman)
--decreased residental mobility (disputed by Van Meter?)
--increased housing costs
--low-income families less likely to move in, which is just as important as displacement
--some positive side-effects (more amenities, services)
--cynicism from asking questions such as, why do we need the "gentry" to move in to get better amenties? Reinforces the idea that poor communities of color are undervalued by society
--tension over behavioral norms also leads to resentment

(From my own observation: "bad" gentrification might be represented by new businesses such as the bar on Freret "The Cure" (bad 80's rock band? Let's call it "The Disease" instead! :) that serves drinks no one in the community can afford and would not let us hang a flier about summer camp on the phone pole out front (not community-oriented). There is also the "community" garden in the 7th ward that built a fence around the lot to keep out those untrustworthy neighors and sells plots mainly to people outside the community. "Good" gentrificiation might be Beaucop Nola snowball shop on Freret that rewards kids with free snowballs if they bring a book to read in the shop.)

Causes of Gentrification
Baby boomers' renewed interest in urban space (vs. suburban)
For-profit development/"booming" economy unevenly distributed (City Life/Vida Urbana--although it might be interesting to see how this has changed now that the economyis not so booming)

Social Stresses involved in gentrification, from quotes from Freeman and others
--"Us vs. Them" mentalities, cultural differences and misunderstandings, social inequalities become more obvious as cultures/races mix, tension over norms
--White people legitimize an increase in property values --> resentment. Some of the people Freeman interviewed expressed much less resentment towards black gentrifiers because they seemed to mix in more easily
--White people moving around in the neighborhood (jogging, walking dogs, etc.), but almost never standing around street corners, adds to the perception of "taking over" (again, behavioral norms are challenged)

Example of conflicting perception: KNO member new to the community saw a lack of action/development and said that what the community needed was "people who aren't tired." But is burn-out/tiredness the real root of the problem? Need a dialogue.

According to Bob Van Meter's "CDCs in Gentrifying Neighborhoods" (Shelterforce Jan/Feb 04), gentrification can lead to a loss of social capital (ex: Little League coaches, church goers) because new residents are often younger and not prepared for long term commitment. They are more transitional and will move away again to the suburbs when they want to start a family. Lance Freeman's research, however, suggests that gentrification is associated with a decrease in residential mobility. How to reconcile...? Maybe loss of social capital occurs, but not because of mobility--new people may just be less interested in getting involved?

How should CDCs approach issues of gentrification?
Don't just build houses

"If you want to be a developer, then call yourself a developer. If you call yourself a CDC then you have to be more than a housing developer... You need to be about community development, which includes community service programs, which includes commercial programs. Developing housing isn't everything--because community doesn't develop based on houses." --Mechanicsville Community Leader

Give neighbors opportunities to meet and engage in conflict resolution (Gonzalez)
--Positional vs. Interest Bargaining--do not take a position or start by assuming a solution, but look for ways to first form productive relationships and address everyones interests.
--Moderators should use "negotiator aikido," or rechannel attacks on himself or others present in the discussion into an attack on a problem and a way to bring consensus
--As the Jamaica Plain Neighbors Against Gentrification discovered, this may involve very racially charged conversations. These conversations need to be had--provide a safe environment for them to occur (set rules, use "I" statements, avoid personal attacks, etc.)

Be open to learning, discovering, and getting everyones opinions

"We are exposed to many ideas, theories, and improvement strategies, yet few of them stick because few make deep intuitive sense. But occasionally we are introduced to something that leads to a deep sense of recognition--a kind of rediscovery rather than learning something entirely new. It is important to live with this sort of rediscovery over time, to continute to apply and test it, to see whether it makes deeper and deeper sense. If such ideas stand the test of time, the result is an ongoing process of ever-expanding insight rather than a continued effort to remember what were were supposed to have learned."
--Peter Senge, Leadership the Fifth Discipline

"We probably could have guessed what people would say were the biggest housing problems... But the process of asking people their opinions led them to get involved in the planning of the campaign as a way of finding solutiosn to the issues they were raising."
--Joe Valley, Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation

Act creatively before gentrification has really hurt the community
In Boston, City Life/Vida Urbana created Anti-displacement zones (ADZs) and organized tenants into unions, building power among tenants at risk for displacement, before they became displaced. This way there were more options and more chances for success.

Freeman's research suggests that the stock of low-income housing shrinks fairly slowly as gentrification begins--CDCs can step in to preserve affordability before it is lost. For example, in Jamaica Plains, they campainged to convert a historic church not only into a historical landmark, but also into affordable housing units.