Around the country, highly educated, upwardly mobile Latinos are choosing urban settings in traditionally Latino neighborhoods over the suburbs. The effects of "gente-fication" ("gente" is Spanish for "people") are distinct from gentrification.
Soni Sangha provides personal stories, and some data, behind the trend of "gente-fication" found in neighborhoods like Lincoln Heights in Los Angeles. "A growing number of upwardly mobile Latinos would rather take the good and bad of Lincoln Heights than idyllic suburbs, in a trend that some refer to as 'gente-fication,'" writes Sangha.
Although the movement is conspicuous in Los Angeles, the pattern is also clear in Houston, Phoenix, and New York City.
As with gentrification, gente-fication raises concerns about brain drain, diplacement, affordability, and, yes, hipsters (chipsters in this case), but "the trend echoes a growing desire among Latinos, in particular, to live in walkable communities that can support many generations under one roof." Aangha quotes Rudy Espinoza, who lives in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles to explain the commitment to Latino culture that motivates gente-fication: "We’ve gone to college and we’ve come back with these new tools we’ve acquired. Let’s apply them to our communities and bring them to bear.”
FULL STORY: In Taking Back Urban Areas, Latinos Are Causing A 'Gente-fication' Across The U.S.
Can Gentrification Integrate Neighborhoods?
Hector Tobar argues that despite the well-documented ills of gentrification, under the right circumstances it can eat into long decades of racial segregation. Eastern Los Angeles may be a prime test case.
Amazon-Owned Robotaxis to Begin Testing in LA
Los Angeles will become the sixth city where Zoox is testing its autonomous vehicle technology.
LA to Replace Inglewood Light Rail Project With Bus Shuttles
LA Metro says the change is in response to community engagement and that the new design will be ready before the 2028 Olympic Games.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?
The Five Most-Changed American Cities
A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.
Op-Ed: Why Mobility Is Political
The freedom to move remains unevenly distributed between people of different backgrounds.
Bringing Community Voices Into Renewable Energy Planning
The MIT Renewable Energy Clinic helps coastal communities navigate the complexities of offshore wind development through neutral, inclusive engagement that surfaces local concerns and supports fair decision-making.
Creating Ocean-Safe Plastic from Seashells
USC researchers have created a biodegradable, marine-safe plastic alternative using calcium carbonate from seashells, offering a promising solution to ocean pollution.
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.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions