Not all gentrification is alike. New research show just how different gentrification is in St. Louis as compared to Seattle or San Francisco.
Prof. Todd Swanstrom shares news of his research with Hank Webber that complicates the conventional thinking about how gentrification moves through neighborhoods and cities.
“Most of the research on gentrification has been conducted in strong market metros, like Boston, San Francisco, and Seattle,” explains Prof. Swanstrom, so “Hank Webber (Washington University) and I recently conducted research on upwardly trending neighborhoods in the St. Louis metropolitan area. What we found does not fit the gentrification model.”
“We found that rebound neighborhoods in St. Louis come in many different types and no neighborhood fits the classic gentrification model well.”
Examples include:
- “The suburb of Maplewood, for example, has modest brick-frame housing stock but it has revitalized by creating a funky pedestrian friendly retail street with a local brew pub as an anchor.”
- “…Botanical Heights which has the world-famous Missouri Botanical Gardens as its anchor. One of the keys to revitalization here was the creation by activist parents of a public charter Montessori School.”
- And in Central West End, widely considered the most successful rebound neighborhood in St. Louis, “[the] area is still remarkably diverse both racially and economically – with large numbers of African Americans, Asians and poor people still living in the area.”
FULL STORY: Is Gentrification Different in Legacy Cities?

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

Making Shared Micromobility More Inclusive
Cities and shared mobility system operators can do more to include people with disabilities in planning and operations, per a new report.

Car Designs Make it Harder to See Pedestrians
Blind spots created by thicker pillars built to withstand rollover crashes are creating dangerous conditions for people outside vehicles.

Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie