Displacement Due to Gentrification: Mitigation Strategies

Abstract

This study focuses on the strategies and tools that can be used to mitigate displacement caused by gentrification, and enable the benefits that are inherent in a gentrifying area to be better utilized by the residents indigenous to the area. As a specific case study, the Atlanta neighborhood of Oakland City is studied. An understanding of these strategies and tools will allow the area to be proactive in addressing residents’ needs before they intensify into a social dilemma. This research is important to the neighborhood of Oakland City as there are many low income residents, and the community is likely to face gentrification pressures in the future. Prevention techniques will be discussed in anticipation of gentrification within this neighborhood. The second chapter describes the methodology used in this study. I conducted an extensive analysis of previous and current approaches to address gentrification, in conjunction with relevant neighborhood studies; and neighborhood organizations and plans. The third chapter presents a study-specific review of the pertinent literature, studies, and previous analyses on the subjects of gentrification, displacement, and planning tools and techniques. Much of the literature available indicates that there are particular strategies that can reduce the negative effects of gentrification; and that community involvement in the earliest stages is key to the achievement of this end. A description of the case study neighborhood Oakland City and further rationale for the implementation of anti-displacement measures in that area is provided in the fourth chapter. The fifth chapter presents an examination of the tools and strategies in the context of the case study.