gentrification

types of households to cope with higher rates of crime associated with cities. 21 As the gentrificationprocess unfolds one group of newcomers is succeeded by waves of usually more affluent residents.Thus the working artists, whose search for inexpensive studio space drove their initial move to agiven neighborhood, are replaced by high-income professionals seeking the ambience of lofts andcoffeehouses.These preferences create higher demand-side housing pressures and are reinforced bychanging demographics. The country’s baby boomers are reaching the empty-nester stage of lifeand are often cited in our case studies as a factor in the gentrification process. In addition:• Twenty-something workers at Silicon Valley firms are much more inclined to live in adynamic city such as San Francisco than quiet and expensive suburbs near their jobs. Manyyoung newcomers in the Mission District are attracted to the cultural diversity there.• In Washington, D.C. and Atlanta, distinctive, but under-utilized architecture is clearly one ofthe attractions of the neighborhoods that are gentrifying.4. Increased Traffic Congestion and Lengthening CommutesFrustrations with increasing traffic congestion and long commuting times were expressed asfactors contributing to gentrification in three of our four case studies (with Cleveland being theexception). As metropolitan populations rise and infrastructure ages, commutes (and thereforehours away from home) lengthen, congestion increases, and overall quality of life declines. Somenew residents clearly desire the opportunity to walk or take a short subway ride to work, and somesupport “smart growth” policies that include “transit-friendly” housing. Even those who reversecommuteto suburban jobs may have quicker commutes from in-town neighborhoods than theywould from a suburban residence.5. Targeted Public Sector PoliciesWhile economic forces seem to drive gentrification, government policies of the past orpresent can either facilitate or impede gentrification. Cities use a range of policy levers to revitalizeneighborhoods or accomplish other goals, including direct investments, tax expenditures, and zoningregulations. In some cases (sometimes years after the implementation of the original policy orinvestment), these investments and their resulting effects can yield gentrification, oftenunintentionally. Many cities pursue revitalization policies with the expressed intention of providingincentives for middle- and high-income families to move into distressed communities, orinducements for original residents to upgrade their homes, including:• Tax Incentives: These include tax credits and abatements for new city homebuyers, taxcredits for historical preservation, below market land sales, and land bank purchases. As partof the federal commitment to revitalize Washington D.C. as the nation’s capital, Congress21 Berry, p 75.12