The Tower, March 28th, 2019: Washington’s rapid gentrification among the highest in the nation, recently affecting Brookland
Studies have been conducted for years regarding the effects of gentrification in communities such as Shaw, U Street Corridor and Columbia Heights; however, gentrification has recently made its way to Northeastern D.C., including the Brookland neighborhood.
Gentrification, a term that has risen in popularity since the turn of the twenty-first century, explains the rapid re-development and economic growth of a specific region, municipality or community that draws in higher income families and forces out lower income families to more affordable nearby areas.
The Washington Post reported a study conducted by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) last Tuesday revealing that 40 percent of low-income communities within Washington, D.C. borders have experienced the effects of gentrification between 2000 and 2013.
As a result, over 20,000 African American residents have been displaced to nearby counties outside of the district, making the District the city with the highest displacement of African Americans, with only Philadelphia trailing close behind, according to the NCRC.
Most notably, the District has recently ranked first in the category of “intensity of gentrification” according to the NCRC, specifically on the basis of the percentage of low-income communities that demonstrate the effects of gentrification.
