The purpose of this report is to document recent neighborhood changes indicative of gentrification and to inform the development of strategies to support the equitable revitalization of specific Houston neighborhoods instead.
Overall, gentrification in Houston has accelerated since 2000 with increases in the most recent years studied (from 2010 to 2016). Three case studies selected, Fifth Ward, OST/South Union and Greenspoint, were found to have relatively high susceptibilities to gentrification according to our analysis.
Some communities push back against gentrification through local land-use policies, deed restrictions, homestead exemptions, community land trusts and community engagement strategies. The neighborhoods identified in this report as currently gentrifying or as susceptible to future gentrification may benefit the most from these strategies and from additional housing policy initiatives.
The Houston Community Data Connections team pulled together an interactive story map that pulls an example of a gentrifying neighborhood in Houston and breaks down how the researchers determined the level of gentrification the area is experiencing. To visit and interact with the website, visit it here.
This is the first of three reports on gentrification. The second report takes a closer look at the connection between transit-adjacent development and gentrification. The third report highlights the different types of housing development that occur when a neighborhood gentrifies.
Photo: Matthew Rutledge/Flickr
