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Eviction, Gentrification, and Renter Displacement

When it comes to housing and displacement, the specter of gentrification looms large. Yet—as researchers Peter Hepburn, Renee Louis, and Matthew Desmond have found—evictions play a much larger role in renter displacement than gentrification. The geography of eviction demonstrates the persistent presence of forced displacement, especially among predominantly low-income households in non-gentrifying neighborhoods. The extent to which eviction can be considered a racialized phenomenon is based on its consistent and long-standing use in segregated Black communities nationwide.

Takeaways

  • Stories about residential displacement often place the blame on gentrification and neighborhood change, without considering the geography of evictions and other mechanisms of forced displacement.
  • Displacement is common and consistent—especially in low-SES neighborhoods—while gentrification is relatively rare.
  • Evictions are often concentrated in segregated Black communities and can be considered a racialized phenomenon.

Categories

Eviction & Foreclosure, Housing, Housing Assistance, Housing Market, Inequality & Mobility, Neighborhood Effects, Place, Racial/Ethnic Inequality

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