Neighborhood Change and Gentrification Near Three Urban Trails

Abstract

This paper describes changes in indicators of gentrification in neighborhoods adjacent to recently opened multiuse trails in three US cities. We hypothesize changes are greater in abutting Census Block Groups (CBGs) than in CBGs further from the trails and use a case-control, pre-post design to report changes in gentrification status and related indicators three years after opening. We provide evidence of gentrification near each trail, but in two cases the majority of gentrifiable CBGs in treatment groups remained gentrifiable after three years. Rates and degree of gentrification associated with new trails differ depending on context.