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Nearly 1,000 neighborhoods across the country were identified with the highest amount of gentrification, with most in 20 metropolitan cities listed in the report.
San Francisco and Oakland led a recent study investigating gentrification and cultural displacement across the United States.
The report, released by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, used data from the US Census Bureau to rank cities for gentrification over a five-year period ending in 2017.
The study focused on socioeconomic data related to income, home value, and level of education to assess gentrification at the neighborhood level.
Nearly 1,000 neighborhoods across the country were identified as having the highest number of gentrifications between 2013 and 2017, with most in 20 metropolitan cities listed in the report.
Of these metropolitan areas, San Francisco-Oakland ranked first, followed by Denver, Boston, Miami-Fort Lauderdale, and New Orleans. Washington DC, which led the previous coalition study, fell to 13th place.
Four other California cities are on the list: San Jose, Sacramento, San Diego, and Los Angeles.
The report found that while a small number of regions in the US have been booming in recent years, most did not, and the coronavirus pandemic comes at a difficult time for many American cities. “COVID-19 hit a nation that was already fighting primarily,” the report concluded.
“COVID-19 exposed profound economic and social failures across the country, with profound implications for how we attract investment to our poorest communities and the impact that investment has on minority and low and moderate income populations,” the authors wrote. , highlighting racial discrimination. and economic disparities, as black communities are disproportionately affected by the pandemic.
The study also highlighted the proximity and overlap between the most gentrified neighborhoods and the ‘Opportunity Zones,’ recently designated under President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts as economically distressed communities where private investments may be eligible for tax incentives. of capital gain.
The report raises concerns that the main problem with the newly designated Opportunity Zones is whether or not they will benefit their largely low-income residents, and not just wealthy investors seeking to reduce their fiscal responsibility.
In a press release, Jesse Van Tol, CEO of NCRC, said, “The recovery in most places will be even more challenging than in those where investment was already concentrated. There is no doubt that the protests that have erupted in The entire country is motivated, at least in part, by the nation’s long history of racial economic inequality. ”
On California having most cities on any state’s list, Karen Chapple, faculty director for the Urban Displacement Project at UC Berkeley, told USA Today, “Coastal cities always appear to be the most gentrifying, so not surprising at all. cities have the most popular housing markets and the most intense job growth, “added Chapple.
For the full study and full list of most gentrified cities in the United States, read here.
Andrew Chamings is editor of SFGATE. Email: [email protected] | Twitter: @AndrewChamings
