The impact of gentrification—especially the displacement of lower-income residents—remains a topic of enormous debate in urbanism circles. Most research on the subject finds the extent of displacement to be statistically rather small; in fact, the leading student of the subject, Lance Freeman of Columbia University, argues that widespread displacement caused by gentrification is largely a myth.
But that doesn’t mean that existing residents don’t feel other effects.
One new study, by sociologists Joseph Gibbons and Michael S. Barton in the Journal of Urban Health, provides new insight into gentrification by examining the health and well-being of black and white residents who are experiencing it. As the researchers point out, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) lists a variety of adverse health effects that may stem from gentrification and displacement, particularly increased stress that can lead to mental health problems, health problems, premature birth, and in some cases death. The study takes a deeper dive into the connection between gentrification and health by using a large-scale health survey in Philadelphia, a city that has experienced considerable gentrification.
[For more of this story, written by Richard Florida, go to https://www.citylab.com/housin...philadelphia/511310/]
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