Uprooted: Local Efforts to Mitigate Displacement in Gentrifying Neighborhoods

Abstract

Gentrification is rapidly reshaping many American cities, as wealth and highly educated residents move into historically marginalized communities and lower-income residents are pushed out. As policymakers and housing and community development practitioners around the country struggle to retain lower-income residents in gentrifying neighborhoods, a number of case studies conducted over the years can help inform these efforts. As part of a larger initiative and team studying gentrification for the City of Austin, we recently developed three case studies that build upon this earlier research. In this article, we summarize our three case studies, along with cross-cutting lessons from the case studies to help housing and community development stakeholders act strategically in tackling the displacement pressures in their communities.