Prof. Orfield and Research Fellow Stancil Publish Op-Ed in Star Tribune on Gentrification Study

Professor Myron Orfield, director of the Institute on Metropolitan Opportunity, and research fellow, Will Stancil, published an op-ed piece in the Star Tribune in response to an ongoing study of gentrification in the Twin Cities. The piece argues that the study, which was produced by the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs at the University's Humphrey School, does not show significant gentrification in the Twin Cities. Instead, the apparent loss of housing affordability in several Minneapolis neighborhoods is driven almost entirely by declines in income among several renter demographics. The op-ed continues on to argue that this cannot be fairly characterized as gentrification, and is instead a symptom of the concentration of poverty in Minneapolis. The piece concludes that concentration of poverty can only be remedied by embracing and fostering economic and racial diversity in Twin Cities neighborhoods, urban and suburban alike.