The Politics of Gentrification

The redevelopment of Houston from four perspectives: the developer, the artist, the power broker, and the former mayor.

1 minute read

March 17, 2006, 11:00 AM PST

"That [the gentrification] debate is playing out in Houston â€" a city famous for its lack of zoning and its developer-friendly ethos â€" is a testament to the passions and confusion that gentrification arouses. What really seems to be at stake is something quite nebulous: the character of a neighborhood. And in Houston, as in many cities, that is inextricably linked to questions of political power and race."

State Representative Garnet Coleman "is taking an unconventional and controversial approach to keeping the Third Ward affordable for longtime residents. Quietly, the board of a tax increment financing district that he partially controls has been buying up land in the Third Ward. Not only does Coleman want to keep the land away from developers. He also wants to saddle the property with restrictive deeds and covenants that would ensure that it could be used only for rental housing in perpetuity."

Thanks to Nathaniel Vogt

Read the full story: Land Rush

Wednesday, March 1, 2006 in Governing Magazine

Community / Economic Development Government / Politics Housing Texas

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