Principal Investigator:
Co-Principal Investigator:
Gentrification is a widely discussed and examined phenomenon. The effects of gentrification on residents who stay in gentrifying and “revitalizing” areas, rather than moving and/or being pushed out, is an underdeveloped area of study. The qualitative experiences of Black residents are also less represented within gentrification-based scholarship. The present study seeks to build on these areas of inquiry by bringing Black experiences of gentrification and its displacement effects to the forefront, by way of understanding both experiences of gentrification in Detroit, MI and policy awareness related to revitalization efforts (e.g., housing developments).
The aims of this study are to understand how Black Detroit residents experience gentrification and neighborhood change in two Detroit neighborhoods and explore how aware residents are of policies related to gentrification processes. In addition, the
study seeks to examine the personal network structures of Black Detroit residents and understand how networks are affected. Specifically, the research questions central to this study are:
- How have Black residents in Detroit’s Corktown and Midtown neighborhoods experienced gentrification and its displacement effects? 2.
- To what degree are residents aware of revitalization and/or redevelopment policy at the city and neighborhood levels? How do residents engage with these policies, if at all?
- What characterizes the personal network structures of Black residents in Corktown and Midtown? 3.1. How does gentrification effect residents’ social networks?