British sociologist Ruth Glass coined the term gentrification in 1964 to describe middle-class people moving into working-class London neighborhoods. In the US, gentrification often follows decades of disinvestment created by redlining, urban renewal and highway building, which pushed down property values in Black and Latino neighborhoods.
When investment returns, rents and property taxes rise, and longtime residents, businesses and churches can be pushed out. A 2019 study by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition found that gentrification displaced at least 135,000 Black and Hispanic residents nationwide from 2000 to 2013. Washington, DC, saw the most intense gentrification, with about 20,000 Black residents displaced.
Displacement is cultural as well as physical. New residents may call police on long-standing community life, such as music or gatherings. Tools to reduce harm include community land trusts, rent stabilization, right-to-counsel laws for tenants facing eviction and public investment that prioritizes existing residents.