Gentrification: it’s the word we often use to talk about how our cities and neighborhoods are changing as investment begins to flow in.
Sometimes the signs of it are obvious. The large housing development with price points so high no one in the neighborhood can afford it.
Other times it’s something a little more subtle and slow. The new hip coffee shop, the art crawl bringing new faces to the neighborhood, or the Spanish immersion program that’s suddenly become highly competitive.
While the sudden influx of wealth and development into certain neighborhoods may seem like a good thing on paper, quite often it also means the displacement of residents who have been living there for generations.
Residents, who more often than not are people of color, find themselves priced out of the city blocks they once called home.The communities they helped forge in the first place.
According to a 2020 study by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, the San Diego metro area is the 14th most-intensely gentrifying metro in the nation.
But what does that really mean for the people of San Diego?
We’d like to hear from you, our listeners, about what you think gentrification looks like? What does it feel like when it's happening? Did it happen to your neighborhood? Can you no longer afford to live where you grew up? Or are you moving back and feeling like you are changing the neighborhood?
Your stories and experiences could be shared in an upcoming KPBS Community Conversation exploring the topic of gentrification in San Diego.
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