What are the effects of smart growth/urban reinvestment on affordable housing in inner cities?
(Charles Trainor, Community Planning Associates, Boise, Idaho) The effects of urban reinvestment on affordable housing in center cities are varied in my understanding. In growing areas, such as the East Coast, urban reinvestment can mean gentrification and a substantial loss of affordable housing, especially in historic and certain other “sought after” neighborhoods. If intentional efforts are not implemented to preserve housing for low- and moderate-income households in these areas, many will be forced to move to areas where rents and house prices are still affordable. These areas and the housing stock may be less than desirable and may mean a decline in housing quality and the quality of neighborhood life for those households. In other areas, such as Dayton, Ohio, the effects of urban reinvestment do not seem so dramatic. Even when certain neighborhoods are targeted for housing and commercial revitalization, gentrification takes place slowly and the structures involved are often vaca
