Redevelopment and Equity: Examining the Impacts of Revitalization in a Resurgent Detroit

As shrinking cities try to recover from years of decline, planners have been struggling with how to promote equitable development. While an influx of newcomers is required to increase the property tax base and redevelopment is needed to upgrade a deteriorating housing stock and built environment, recovery strategies also need to consider the racial and class implications. When revitalization efforts are successful in generating reinvestment and growth, they may also result in unintended negative consequences such as housing unaffordability and precarity, particularly for low-income residents.

This presentation examined the impacts of regeneration initiatives on housing affordability in Detroit. It analyzed how property tax abatements, housing subsidies and demand-side incentives can help to stabilize neighbourhoods and spur redevelopment activity, but also contribute to gentrification pressures and potential displacement. It discussed how planners can be more proactive in anticipating these negative impacts to ensure that the benefits of the resurgence are equally distributed.

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