“It had a lot of memories…but now it’s gone”: exploring perceptions of gentrification in Detroit, Michigan through Black residents’ experiences and media discourse
Date
2025
DOI
Authors
Version
Embargo Date
2027-09-02
OA Version
Citation
Abstract
Gentrification scholarship has long focused on middle class gentry moving into largely low-income neighborhoods (Glass, 1964). Evidence suggests that gentrifiers vary demographically, from white residents to middle income Black residents (Desmond, 2012; Easton et al., 2020; Moore, 2009; Pattillo, 2010). Within this scholarly landscape, there is also evidence of the physical and cultural and/or symbolic displacement of longtime residents of color (Chernoff, 2010; Huante, 2021; Hwang & Sampson, 2014). Within this range of empirical accounts, Black residents’ qualitative experiences are only moderately present (Holt et al., 2021; Pattillo, 2010). Further, little is known about how such personal level experiences are reflected, or not, within broader macro level discourse within gentrifying spaces, the implications of which influence how, and to what extent, knowledge of gentrification and its byproducts are consumed (Gin & Taylor, 2010; Lavy et al., 2016). This dissertation study uses a two-pronged qualitative approach to examine how Black residents in Detroit, Michigan experience gentrification, what factors shape these experiences, and how these experiences are reflected within macro level media discourse. In depth qualitative interviews (n=16) were conducted and analyzed using Reflective Thematic Analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2021). In addition, media articles (n=65) published in print in the Detroit Free Press from 2013–2023 were analyzed using summative content analysis (Hsieh & Shannon, 2005). Findings from interviews and articles were brought into conversation with one another using thematic analytic strategies (Braun & Clarke, 2021). Findings reveal the complex relationships Black residents have with their changing neighborhoods, shaped by a combination of factors that include: relational ties to people, history, and the built environment; psychological costs of change; and perceptions of present populations. Importantly, findings also illustrate gentrification as inherently relational, directing conceptualizations and responses to reflect this essential aspect of the process. Critical frames of Critical Race Theory and Place Identity Theory supported interpretive findings and highlight the importance of recognizing neighborhoods as racialized space, within which the personal experiences and perceptions of Black residents can be more accurately contextualized. Implications include integrating resident voice in municipal policymaking, increasing social workers’ engagement with clients’ networks and social ties, and explicitly connecting macro practice to issues of social injustice within the built environment. Finally, future studies can more explicitly engage social network analysis to further characterize the nature of consequential relational ties for residents in gentrifying spaces, extend examination on how the racialization of space is consequential for Black and other residents in gentrifying areas, and examine the network structures of Black and longtime residents.
Description
2025
License
Attribution 4.0 International