San Antonio wants to be a city on the rise, but revitalizing downtown, adding housing, and rehabilitating older neighborhoods, means that property values rise. With rising property values and property taxes, gentrification becomes a reality.
Gentrification is a word with a lot of baggage and brings to mind the rapid change of neighborhoods that pushes out longtime residents, and is often associated with the character of a place being lost.
San Antonio is experiencing something far more mild, according to a comprehensive study conducted by Christine Drennon at Trinity University. About a third of the 130+ neighborhoods they observed, are seeing an uptick in property values, but they are doing so at a slower pace than the stereotype.
Housing stocks for low-income residents have been in short supply for a long time in San Antonio, and the continued rise in values and rents is putting additional pressure on renters. The city has been looking at the issue and made some findings public Wednesday.
Is gentrification always a bad thing? Is the city coming up with good ideas to manage it? What else should San Antonio do?
Guests:
- Ramiro Cavazos, President and CEO of the San Antonio's Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
- Maria Berriozábal, former city councilmember, community activist, and member of the Mayor's Task Force on Dynamic & Diverse neighborhoods
