Examining the complex sources of concerns about displacement and opposition to investment in low-income neighborhoods.

In an article in Governing, Aaron M. Renn explains the importance of cultural forces in shaping local responses to economic development initiatives. According to Renn, studies show that “gentrification-driven displacement either doesn’t happen in practice or is limited to a small number of locales nationally.” However, Renn points out, citing this data to allay concerns “misses a bigger point: Inflows of higher-income people do cause cultural displacement, as the values of the new wealthy residents become dominant in the community.”
What Renn calls ‘cultural displacement’ “can have practical and tangible consequences for daily life in these neighborhoods. In Oakland, Calif., gentrifiers have filed complaints with the city about gospel choir practice sessions at local Black churches, accusing them of being a noise nuisance.” Meanwhile, “Cultural concerns are frequently treated as illegitimate by intellectual elites.”
Renn notes that “As Jane Jacobs noted in The Economy of Cities, ‘Economic development, whenever and wherever it occurs, is profoundly subversive of the status quo.’ People in leadership positions in a community are generally benefiting from the status quo, hence can fear change.” Renn argues that “Cultural concerns should be understood and engaged with in order to create real progress,” rather than dismissed as unfounded fears.
FULL STORY: Why Many Poor Neighborhoods Fear Development

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

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

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving
Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding
The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.
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