Abstract for:Is the Gentrification Process a Foregone Conclusion?

Gentrification is the process where wealthy individuals move into urban neighborhoods

and create a shift in the cultural and economic dynamic of the area. As more wealthy individuals

move in, low-income individuals are simultaneously being displaced from these neighborhoods -

disrupting the population distribution (Abrams 2017). A dynamic model is used to represent

gentrification within a generic neighborhood and identify the key levers that drive this process.

This model has three key elements: the population of wealthy individuals, the accumulation of

amenities favorable to the wealthy, and the accumulation of dis-amenities affecting the wealthy.

There are four unique scenarios that help think through different intervention points to better

control the progression of gentrification. The results show that the depreciation rate of amenities

can have a significant effect on the gentrification of a respective neighborhood. This project

hopes to stimulate discussion surrounding the unintended consequences of “progress.”