Two approaches to redevelopment reveal the nuances of gentrification and neighborhood change.

In an essay adapted from his book Place and Prosperity: How Cities Help Us To Connect And Innovate and published on Next City, William Fulton describes two approaches to development in the East End, a quickly gentrifying neighborhood in Houston, Texas.
Fulton describes the area’s history as “a traditionally Hispanic neighborhood that used to be a bustling center of blue-collar business and manufacturing” and its recent and rapid transformation. Today, the neighborhood is served by a light rail line that provides a fast link to downtown Houston, and developers are building new housing.
The two projects highlighted by Fulton in this piece show two approaches to redeveloping properties in the East End. One is a sprawling mixed-use development located on the site of a former engineering complex, “perhaps the largest vacant site in any urban location in the United States.” The developer plans to mitigate the negative impacts of the project through actions outlined in a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA), a legal commitment to provide assistance to specific community causes.
The second project, run by the Concept Neighborhood group, focuses on retrofitting old buildings to house small, local businesses. Commercial tenants are charged rent on a sliding scale based on their sales. Despite these efforts to keep prosperity in the neighborhood, Fulton points out that the developers acknowledge “The value of their property will go up no matter what, to the detriment of some local residents.”
For Fulton, this illustrates the core conundrum of what we call gentrification. “Places are improved by prosperity — indeed, places cannot thrive without prosperity. But in a society with deepening inequality, places (and people) can also be overrun by prosperity.” In Fulton’s view, “The question is not how to deflect investment – but, rather, how to ensure it benefits people who live in the neighborhood already as well as newcomers.”
FULL STORY: Two Houston Developments Show Two Approaches To Gentrification

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?

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.

What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?
The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.

Sean Duffy Targets Rainbow Crosswalks in Road Safety Efforts
Despite evidence that colorful crosswalks actually improve intersection safety — and the lack of almost any crosswalks at all on the nation’s most dangerous arterial roads — U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy is calling on states to remove them.
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