The objective of this course is to provide a critical and analytical understanding of gentrification and to equip participants with effective anti-displacement policy tools. Upon completion, participants will be able to:

• Master the economic and sociological theories that explain neighborhood change.
• Gain expertise in identifying and measuring gentrification and displacement risk.
• Develop a comprehensive toolkit of effective anti-displacement policy instruments.
• Design and implement housing preservation strategies (e.g., CLTs, acquisition funds).
• Analyze the legal and political feasibility of tenant protection policies like rent control.
• Negotiate and structure Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs) for large projects.
• Understand the role of public investment (e.g., transit) in catalyzing displacement and mitigation.

• Urban Planners and Community Development Staff
• Housing Policy Analysts and Advocates
• Community Organizers and Tenant Rights Leaders
• Real Estate Professionals and Ethical Developers
• Municipal Staff focusing on neighborhood revitalization
• Legal Professionals specializing in housing and land use
• Students in Sociology, Planning, or Urban Studies

• Case Studies of gentrified neighborhoods analyzed through the Rent Gap lens
• Group Activities: Designing an anti-displacement policy package for a high-risk neighborhood
• Discussions on the ethics and economic impact of rent control and price ceilings
• Individual Exercises: Calculating the Displacement Risk Index for a census tract
• Guest speakers from tenant organizing groups and Community Land Trusts
• Role-playing scenarios: A municipal council debate on a new tenant protection law

Unit 1: The Theory and Mechanisms of Gentrification

• Classic definitions of gentrification and its distinction from neighborhood revitalization
• Neil Smith's Rent Gap Theory and the economic drivers of disinvestment and reinvestment
• The role of cultural capital, consumption, and the 'creative class' in initiating change
• Analyzing the sequence of gentrification (pioneers, state-led, corporate)

• Key socio-economic and spatial indicators used to track gentrification (e.g., rents, demographics)
• Methodologies for developing a neighborhood-level Displacement Risk Index
• Identifying the early warning signs of market pressure and vulnerable populations
• The challenge of data availability and the ethics of neighborhood mapping

Unit 2: The Impacts of Displacement

• Analyzing the direct and indirect displacement of residents (physical and economic)
• The social and psychological trauma of involuntary relocation and community break-up
• The displacement of local, non-chain businesses and its impact on neighborhood identity
• Impacts on public services, schools, and cultural institutions

• The intersection of race, class, and gentrification patterns
• Gentrification as a form of 'state-led' or structural violence
• Analyzing who benefits and who loses from neighborhood reinvestment
• The ethical and moral responsibility of planners in areas of intense market change

Unit 3: Housing-Focused Anti-Displacement Tools

• Policies for the preservation of existing affordable housing stock and rent regulation
• Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) and its effectiveness in high-demand markets
• Developing Right of First Refusal (ROFR) and Right to Purchase (TOPA) policies
• Acquisition strategies by non-profits and CDCs to stabilize rents

• Implementing robust rent control/rent stabilization measures and their economic analysis
• 'Just Cause' eviction ordinances and other tenant protections
• Providing emergency rental assistance and legal aid for tenant defense (Right to Counsel)
• Strategies for ensuring relocation assistance is adequate and timely

Unit 4: Land-Use and Community-Focused Tools

• In-depth study of the Community Land Trust (CLT) model for permanent affordability
• Developing policy to promote CLT growth and municipal partnerships
• Land banking and strategic public land acquisition for community purposes

• Negotiating and implementing comprehensive Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs)
• The role of planning in creating mixed-income and mixed-use development that is inclusive
• Strategies for supporting long-time commercial tenants and cultural assets
• Mitigating displacement risk associated with public infrastructure investments (e.g., transit)

Unit 5: Implementation and Governance

• Developing a comprehensive, multi-pronged anti-displacement strategy
• The political challenges of implementing anti-displacement policy (e.g., NIMBY, developer pushback)
• Monitoring and adapting policy based on real-time market changes and data
• Case studies of cities with successful and innovative anti-displacement programs