Is there gentrification in most Sunbelt cities? (apartments, lofts)

[citylove101]

I'd guess not becuse there is generally more space and sprawl, so there's no pressure to turn around poor city neighborhoods for the middle class: the middle class in search of housing just keep moving further and further out from the central city. Thats generally not too easily done in the dense metro areas of the Northeast or someplace like Chicago.

I've heard of some inner city reclamation in Atlanta, but no heated gentrificatin issues in places like Houston, Miami, Tampa, Dallas, Phoenix, San Diego, LA, etc etc.

So can some of the Sunbelt experts let me know what the deal is? Do new middle clase neighborhoods go outward in the Sunbelt or is there a fight for space in the city proper?

[annie_himself]

My God man. Yes, it's occurring in Houston as well as many other cities.

[nowincal11]

LA has seen a lot of middle class neighborhoods decline in the San Fernando Valley. But at the same time, Hollywood, Echo Park, Silverlake, and Downtown have all started regentrification. The decline is not as noticeable in Sun Belt cities because they are generally newer and the building isn't that drab brick that appears to erode (even though it doesn't) after a while.

[qc dreamin]

I think most of the sunbelt cities are promoting more infill in the urban core. I have witnessed this first hand in Charlotte and Atlanta..Both of these cities have torn their inner city projects and replaced them with affordable housing, apartments and condos. Both of these cities have done a good job putting more entertaintment options in their respective main cbd's. I know that Charlotte has done a good job of building more sidewalks and encouraging residents to take advantage of the buses, light rail, trolley, and carpoil lanes. Both of these cities are increasing their retail options near their urban core: Atlantic Station in Atlanta and Midtown in Charlotte. Atlanta has done excellent planning with the beltline project. Genteification is definitely happening in the South!

[Pine to Vine]

When I first moved to Houston many years ago, I asked my apartment locator to find me an older building that had been rehabbed. She looked at me puzzled and said "We don't have those." She proceeded to take me to a garden apartment that was about 15 years old that had recently had new carpet and appliances put in. Today, in Houston's older close-in neighborhoods such as Montrose and The Heights (previously lovely bungalow communities), it is much more common that they are torn down and replaced with zero-plot line townhouse clusters, going from this . . .


All sizes | Random House Photo | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/nonsufficitorbis/2403973024/sizes/z/in/photostream/ - broken link)

. . . to this:


All sizes | Washington Townhouse | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/cosmic_omar/5225732180/sizes/z/in/photostream/ - broken link)

[Champ le monstre du lac]

Duh!

Uptown - Dallas
All over Austin, starting to work its way toward east of downtown near I-35
Nob Hill - Albuquerque
Gaslamp Quarter - San Diego
Several parts of Miami
Fort Lauderdale has made a 180 transition from what it was 15-20 years ago through tons of gentrification.
Downtown Orlando
Peachtree corridor and Atlantic Station in Atlanta
Uptown Charlotte
Downtown Raleigh
Hollywood
Several rail system projects in the majority of sunbelt cities

and many more that I'm sure others will chime in on. Open your eyes. In the future the sunbelt cities will have a lot of infill growth and some of thse neighborhoods will appreciate tremendously in value, and many already have and will again in the future.

[annie_himself]

Originally Posted by jm02

When I first moved to Houston many years ago, I asked my apartment locator to find me an older building that had been rehabbed. She looked at me puzzled and said "We don't have those." She proceeded to take me to a garden apartment that was about 15 years old that had recently had new carpet and appliances put in. Today, in Houston's older close-in neighborhoods such as Montrose and The Heights (previously lovely bungalow communities), it is much more common that they are torn down and replaced with zero-plot line townhouse clusters, going from this . . .




. . . to this:

The Arts District/Washington area is famous for this. The same isn't happening in the Heights area though. I would hate to see those homes be demolished for anything.

I've also looked for many older styled apartments and lofts and surprised they are so few in such a big city.

[Pine to Vine]

Originally Posted by annie_himself

The Arts District/Washington area is famous for this. The same isn't happening in the Heights area though. I would hate to see those homes be demolished for anything.

I've also looked for many older styled apartments and lofts and surprised they are so few in such a big city.

Montrose has lost the majority of it's bungalows; The Heights, less so. Instead, The Heights has a proliferation of "new" Victorians replacing old Victorians and bungalows, as I'm sure you are familiar with:


All sizes | Houston Heights Victorian | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/neunzehn/2485371354/sizes/z/in/photostream/ - broken link)

[citylove101]

Originally Posted by caphillsea77

Duh!

Uptown - Dallas
All over Austin, starting to work its way toward east of downtown near I-35
Nob Hill - Albuquerque
Gaslamp Quarter - San Diego
Several parts of Miami
Fort Lauderdale has made a 180 transition from what it was 15-20 years ago through tons of gentrification.
Downtown Orlando
Peachtree corridor and Atlantic Station in Atlanta
Uptown Charlotte
Downtown Raleigh
Hollywood
Several rail system projects in the majority of sunbelt cities

and many more that I'm sure others will chime in on. Open your eyes. In the future the sunbelt cities will have a lot of infill growth and some of thse neighborhoods will appreciate tremendously in value, and many already have
and will again in the future.

I get that in these places and in Houston that there is stuff going on then. But what I don't get is this: does it involve the big and bitter changes in in ome levels and ethnic makeover that are typical in New york DC Chicago etal. Is it stirring up the same class and racial antagonisms? Or Is it generally building on land that was mostly empty anyway? Do rents rise sharply in these gentrified nabes from what they were chasing out the poor? Are the new residents professionals and middle or upper middle class folks or are they the artists and bohemians or are they just the same folks you'd see in any middle class Sunbelt suburb? Just trying to get an idea if this plays out differently in Atlanta Houston Charlotte Miami et al than it does in the Northeast

[creeksitter]

Yikes Jm, That's ugly. The condos, not the victorian. I'd hope gentrification would mean that cute bungalow would be fixed up by a young yuppie couple.