gentrification

2. increasing regional, city and community understanding of the dynamics of gentrification, andconducting analyses that can anticipate pressures;3. getting organized, again at the regional, city and community levels;4. developing a unified vision and plan (e.g., for jobs/housing balance at the regional level, foreconomic and housing needs and opportunities for residents at the city level, and forneighborhood stability and viability at the local level);5. implementing regulatory and policy fixes at the regional, city and community levels, asappropriate;6. gaining control of public and private property assets that can be taken out of the market andused to provide affordable housing and office space for neighborhood residents and serviceproviders;7. improving resident understanding of legal rights, and home-buying and selling strategies;8. improving public education at the local and citywide levels;9. preparing parties to negotiate for more equitable development in the midst of gentrification;and10. creating forums to resolve conflicts and to re-knit the community.1. Knowing the ContextBefore thinking that gentrification is a challenge with which they must grapple, city leadersand neighborhood advocates must understand their city’s unique housing dynamics, job growthrates, and real estate trends. Is displacement likely to occur, or are there large swaths ofdepopulated land that can absorb new development without displacement? Are middle-incomepeople actually moving into the city, and if so, are they moving into low-income census tracts or intoupper- or middle-class neighborhoods? Put bluntly, everyone concerned about gentrification mustknow whether or not the city economy is strong enough to make gentrification an issue. If not, thenenergy and attention are better spent in planning for equitable development rather than searching fora challenge that does not yet exist. Similarly, people must know their neighborhood context: are theconditions right for gentrification, or can higher income residents be absorbed without displacement,as has occurred in some Cleveland neighborhoods. Are property values likely to rise graduallyenough that residents enjoy the benefits of revitalization without the challenges that gentrificationcan bring?29