Neighborhood Change and Equitable Development: Perspectives from Community Change Makers

Purpose:  This project engaged community change makers around their growing concerns regarding neighborhood change, particularly gentrification.  The goal was to engage people across neighborhoods to discuss common issues and develop potential solutions to prevent the negative effects of gentrification and promote equitable development.

Context:  The researcher worked with MSW students in two courses on this project. Nine groups of students in a community organizing course conducted 20 interviews with change makers and gathered demographic research on 9 neighborhoods.  Students in a community planning and development course conducted 13 interviews with local policy makers.  Students in both classes gathered scholarly research related to the topics raised in their interviews, including best practices on neighborhood development that curbs displacement and gentrification.  Change makers participated in a Dialogue on Neighborhood Change to share and discuss the student’s research and common issues and potential solutions to address neighborhood change issues in their neighborhood and across the city.   

Methods:  Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 neighborhood change makers and 13 policy makers using an interview guide. Interviews were audio or video recorded, transcribed and summarized. The interview guide included questions about overall perceptions of neighborhood change: What major changes have occurred in the past decade that you believe have had the most impact on neighborhood revitalization and change in [city]?  Neighborhood change makers were also asked:  What do you believe are the most important revitalization and community change issues facing this neighborhood today? Both groups were asked:  What specific organizational efforts, if any, are you working on that support neighborhood revitalization but also curb displacement and gentrification? And, what policies and/or programs do you feel would be helpful to [city] to support revitalization but also curb displacement and gentrification? Students in the community organizing class gathered neighborhood socio-economic and housing information from the census.  The students prepared summaries of their interviews and research, which were shared with change makers at the Dialogue Session, where group discussions were held to discuss the key neighborhood change issues revealed through the interviews.

Results:  Common themes from the research were that while gentrification pressures affected only some neighborhoods, change makers realized the importance of developing proactive strategies to support revitalization benefitting and preserving the community and its local culture. Several key issues included the increasing cost of housing, displacement of residents in gentrifying areas, and increasing income and racial disparities. Change makers also recognized the importance of community driven and equitable development strategies, and of working across neighborhoods to address common issues and advocate for policy changes.  Potential policies were discussed, including community land trusts and inclusionary housing, as well as equitable workforce and business development policies.  The researcher is working with change makers to further this research and develop action steps, including engaging residents and incorporating their perspectives into local efforts to address these issues.  This project demonstrates how community researchers can integrate current issues like gentrification into their courses and engage both students and change makers in the research process to identify common issues and develop solutions.