ECONOMICS UNIQUENESS

Mitigation Strategies
HERITAGE CONSERVATION AND PROPERTY VALUES ■ 135
Despite the fact that the positive outcomes of gentrifi cation outweigh the negative
ones, this does not relieve public offi cials from the political and social responsibility
of addressing the needs of the local residents who make up the low-income
community and who have been long-term residents of the area.
Th e combination of seemingly disparate stakeholders, and the variety of
instruments available—including local laws, entrepreneurial skills in the public
and NGO sectors, fi nancial resources, and political will—can aff ect what strategies
will be used, but there are eight common responses to mitigate the residential
displacement problem:
• Public housing for resettlement. It is not unusual for the public sector to own
heritage buildings at the beginning of the regeneration process that are not
needed for government services. Around the world there are numerous examples
of heritage buildings being converted into housing for low-income residents.
Local governments could integrate the existing low-income households
into the heritage revitalization process by making available a range of housing
alternatives in rehabilitated heritage buildings.
• NGO-initiated housing. NGOs have been eff ective in addressing a range of
social issues, including assisting low-income communities with their housing
needs. Helping NGOs to acquire, redevelop, and manage housing aimed at
low-income households can be a way of strengthening that sector, building
capacity in development and management, and at the same time providing
needed housing of this strata of population.
• Inclusionary housing policies. During the early implementation of a neighborhood
regeneration eff ort, as the higher-income households begin to move into
a formerly derelict heritage area, private-sector actors will identify heritage
buildings that are appropriate for adaptive reuse as residential units. With the
“stick” of regulation, the “carrot” of incentives, or some combination of the
two, the private sector may be stimulated to include in their redevelopment
plans units that make provision for low-income residents who are currently
living in the district. Th is mixed-income development pattern seems to work
best when between 10 and 25 percent of the units are targeted for lowerincome
households.
• Local hiring mandates. Especially in the early stages of a heritage regeneration
eff ort, there are likely to be public incentives for the private sector to act. Th ese
might be in the form of low-interest loans, grants, tax abatements, technical
assistance, fee waivers, additional development rights, building code fl exibility,
or other types of incentives. Providing what are essentially public benefi ts
to a private investor gives the public sector some leverage with the recipient.