Neighborhood Gentrification across Harris County: 1990 to 2016

New Townhomes in Austin

The inventory of affordable housing has been diminishing and this report documents where in Houston it's diminishing the fastest.

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

RELATED URBAN EDGE
Development in Los Angeles
Mitigating Gentrification: How Several Sun Belt Cities Are Responding
RESEARCH :  Dec. 12, 2018

With a new report shedding light on the stages of gentrification affecting various neighborhoods across Harris County, how are communities and cities responding?

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT | HOUSING | SUN BELT
RELATED URBAN EDGE
Third Ward
Third Ward Looks to Shift the Gentrification Conversation
RESEARCH :  May. 24, 2016

As the area continues to attract interest, Third Ward community organizations work to promote "development without displacement."

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT | HOUSING
RELATED RESEARCH
Re-Taking Stock: Understanding How Trends in the Housing Stock and Gentrification are connected in Houston and Harris County
Apr. 6, 2021

This report connects housing stock changes with gentrification patterns in Harris County.

HOUSING
RELATED RESEARCH
Houston Metro light rail
Transit Adjacent Development and Neighborhood Change in Houston
Dec. 11, 2019

This study explores how land use has changed between 2010 and 2016 in transit adjacent development (TAD) areas of Harris County, defined as census block groups within one mile of light rail stations, transit centers, and Park & Ride locations.

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