What's the Opposite of Gentrification?

Richey Piiparinen says that in one obvious way, gentrification isn't a problem in the Rust Belt (that being housing prices, which are comfortably low pretty much everywhere). A true intermingling of racial and ethnic groups is happening, he argues.

1 minute read

June 27, 2012, 7:00 AM PDT

By Tim Halbur


Pilparinen says that the gentrification model is "way out of whack" in the Rust Belt, where African-Americans are leaving the inner city for the depressed housing market of the suburbs:

"In fact, in terms of creating mixed neighborhoods, this is usually the model-turning the talking points of gentrification on its head," writes Pilparinen.

Mixed neighborhoods are increasing and becoming the norm, he writes:

"The link between generational tolerance and neighborhood change is that altered perceptions lead to changed behaviors and thus new experiences. These experiences: they go from person to person, which then are rapidly leading to the increased prevalence of everyday between-race interactions if not multi-racial nuclear family units. Slowly, then, the creation of integrated neighborhoods ensue that evolve more organically than the colonialist model of gentrification states."

Friday, June 1, 2012 in RustWire

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

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