Gentrification, policing, and potential pathways to health: A scoping review

Policing is a social determinant of health that disproportionately affects racially, socially, and economically marginalized communities. Gentrification is hypothesized to alter policing, yet findings have not been synthesized across studies. We conducted a scoping review of studies examining gentrification's effects on direct policing (e.g., person-police encounters) and indirect policing (e.g., vicarious exposure through media or word-of-mouth) and related outcomes. Searches across multiple electronic databases identified 2680 records; after screening titles and abstracts, 42 full texts were reviewed and 26 were included (14 qualitative, 9 quantitative, 3 multi-method). Studies varied widely in how gentrification was defined; few were from public health or medicine. No study examined indirect policing in the context of gentrification. We identified three pathways through which gentrification increases direct policing: resident-led calls for service (via 911/311), police-led expansions of order-maintenance policing in gentrifying areas, and investment-led policing to protect new commercial development. Adverse effects were concentrated among longer-term Black, Latine, unstably housed, and gender minority residents. Health-related studies reported significant negative psychosocial impacts linked to these dynamics. Overall, gentrification appears to increase population-level exposure to direct policing via residents, police, and investors, with potential contributions to poorer mental health among longer-term residents. The review also highlights critical gaps, including sparse health-specific research and the absence of research on indirect policing.