Gentrification? How come we never hear about De-Gentrification and what a problem this is?

[turf3]

Well, the neighborhood I grew up in steadily declined from the 1950s through the 1970s (then started turning round and now, except a few hold-outs, has become a fairly in-demand area) - and it remained lily white throughout. In fact even today there are only two black families I'm aware of, and they're recent arrivals.


So it's not always about race, is it?

[OyCrumbler]

Urban decay is a common term for a place going down, which implies people leaving, but doesn't explicitly say it. White flight is about leaving and one specific to a certain kind of mass exodus. Suburbanization is also another specific one about leaving.

In regards to parts of Eastern Pennsylvania, there's a lot having to do with conditions that make their industries no longer that competitive over the past several decades and not having recovered from such. Your rising property taxes may have to do with a diminished tax bases with industries and people leaving and needing to cover for basic services which is no longer sustainable. That leaving of people due to loss of industry and higher taxes makes it harder to sustain other businesses and makes properties cheaper but also people more desperate. In Eastern Pennsylvania's case, a solid, speedy, and affordable transit connection to the NYC and Philadelphia metropolitan area could be of great help as a far exurb area or even become a bit of a getaway location. Increasing speedy internet access so there's the ability to do remote work after having cushier jobs from those areas and only needing to come in every once in a while with decent transit connections may help. You'd be more likely then to attract people with greater economic means from the neighboring big city regions rather than people scraping by.

[HJ99]

Its not just the renters forced out by gentrification or in boom area. Those owning property get their taxes jacked sky high. Thus a house they bought decades ago is now not affordable to keep because taxes are as high as rent. Property taxes is the tried and true way to free up land for "development", back before Supreme Court ruled cities can just take it cheaply by eminent domain and hand it over to their developer buddies. The developers dont have to negotiate with the owners, they just take it. And no guarantee that money given can buy a place elsewhere. Personally I think any property taken by eminent domain, they should have to offer a similar property in similar neighborhood as even trade. That would keep it fair. And not just low cost land grab.


Property taxes should be locked to what they were when property purchased for properties bought and lived in by individuals. Not for corporations and "investors" and "flippers". Person wanting such tax break should have to own the house and live in the house full time. Taxes can rise when property is sold to new owners or no longer lived in by owner for a full year for other than medical reasons.