In a city long characterized by fault lines between rich and poor, charges of "gentrification" elicit increasingly passionate responses and have renewed political power to stall or outright block development projects large and small. Developer concessions and "stakeholder outreach" processes no longer cut it. A more robust set of tools is needed to convince skeptical and wary residents that new development can be a net positive while simultaneously responding to legitimate concerns over neighborhood change. 

This month we will showcase some of those innovative approaches and reframe gentrification debate as both an economic and social phenomenon.

To do this, we are bringing together a community advocate, for-profit developer, and public servant to discuss the role each plays in creating neighborhood change and stability. Our aim is to move past the rhetorical stalemates that stall projects or offer only superficial mitigations of community concerns. Economist David Bergman will lead the panel, framing the "problem" that gentrification presents and provoking the panelists to identify how they can---individually and collectively---support local community aims without deferring regional housing, transportation and economic development goals.

October's Forum will take the gentrification conversation to the next level, producing new interdisciplinary insights that will equip residents, developers, and regulators with the tools they need to re-shape the community dialogue around neighborhood change.

Panelists
Rudy Espinoza, Leadership for Urban Renewal Network (LURN)
Jenna Hornstock, LA Metro Joint Development 
Mark Sanders, Fifteen Group

Moderator
David Bergman, Metropolitan Research + Economics