Social Policy, July 21, 2023, Community Benefits Agreements at the Forefront of Anti-Gentrification Initiatives
If gentrification is the bogeyman in today’s community development advocacy circles, community benefit agreements (CBAs) appear to be the elixir, or at least one of them. Gentrification, of course, is little more than the current name for a process of uneven development that has long plagued our cities and metropolitan areas.
CBAs have become increasingly popular in part because they call for specific, publicized dollars and programs for traditionally marginalized communities negotiated by members of those communities. For example, the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) and its members have negotiated billions of dollars for a variety of mortgage, small business, and community development loans since 2016.
