Westworld, February 2, 2025, Opinion: Denver Is Doubling Down on a Decade of Failed Policies
In 2020, the National Community Reinvestment Coalition ranked Denver as the second most gentrified city in the nation. The top-ranked city, San Francisco, offers a cautionary tale: Restrictive housing policies have driven land values and rents far beyond what working-class residents can afford, making it the most intensely gentrified city in America. Research shows even small amounts of new housing mitigate displacement. Economist Kate Pennigton demonstrated that new construction led to a 2 percent decline in nearby rents and reduced renter displacement. At the same time, researchers at the UpJohn Institute studied market-rate housing effects from 2013 to 2018 — including in Denver — and found new construction lowered rent trends by 5 to 7 percent, absorbing demand from higher-income households and preserving housing for lower-income families.
