Patch, March 23rd, 2019: Baltimore among most gentrified cities in U.S.: study
A new interactive map shows which Baltimore neighborhoods have been gentrified and which groups of people were ultimately forced out of their homes as a result. The map was one element in a groundbreaking study published this week by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition.
Between 2000 and 2013, more than 1,000 neighborhoods across the country experienced gentrification, or the process of new investment in low-income neighborhoods that raises home values and often forces lifetime residents to move because they can no longer afford to live there.
The study used U.S. Census Bureau tract data, with each tract serving as an imperfect proxy for a neighborhood, according to the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that conducted the review as part of its mission to create opportunities for people to build wealth.
Seven cities — including Baltimore — accounted for nearly half of the country’s gentrification overall, the study found: Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Diego and Washington, D.C.
In the largest cities, such as New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago, gentrification and displacement were spread across different neighborhood clusters, the report said.
But in smaller cities — like Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia — gentrification was more concentrated, near downtown business districts and adjacent neighborhoods, waterfronts and commercial areas that tend to attract jobs and amenities.
