Gentrification: A Priority for Environmental Justice and Health Equity Research

Although gentrification is occurring at increasing rates across the United States, our understanding of what this means for public health is limited. While positive changes, such as increases in property values and reduced crime rates occur, negative consequences, such as residential displacement, also ensue. Individuals living through gentrification experience major changes in social and environmental conditions often in short periods of time, which can result in disrupted social networks and stress, both associated with decrements in health. As neighborhoods across the United States undergo revitalization, understanding health effects of gentrification, positive and negative, is paramount. We posit that gentrification may be beneficial in some aspects of health and detrimental in others. To address current challenges in the gentrification-health literature, we recommend future research: 1) examine the gentrification processes and stages; 2) integrate built, natural, and social environment metrics; and 3) assess mediating and moderating associations. As gentrification expands across the United States, research conducted in this area is poised for timely contributions to equitable development and urban planning policies.