Are DC Neighborhoods Gentrifying?

By Ben Gross

Anacostia, Marshall Heights, Brentwood and Chillum are among 18 neighborhoods that were identified as “gentrifying” in a new study submitted to the DC Tax Revision Commission, the website dcist reports.

The study, originally reported by the Washington Business Journal, classified areas where the median property value was below the citywide average as of 2001, but above it nearly a decade later in 2010.

The neighborhoods identified in the study are:

• Anacostia.

The DCist post cites U.S. Census Bureau data showing a trend towards the District becoming younger and whiter.

A Washington City Paper reporter blogged his disagreement with the report’s findings.

Aaron Weiner wrote that while property value and income growth in Barry Farm, for instance, outpaced the rate of growth of those measures citywide between 2001 and 2011, values in Berry Farm were rising “from a very low baseline.”

Click here to read the full blog post.

A post on Curbed DC took some issues into account in questioning whether gentrification is occurring in the 18 neighborhoods—including their lack of large grocery stores, pharmacies and higher end fast-food—but also attempted to identify common elements the neighborhoods had that could spell gentrification, including:

• Median property values below the city average in 2001 and above it in 2011.

• Median gross income below the city average in 2001 and above it in 2011.

The study was conducted by a Bowie State economics professor, members of the DC Office of the Chief Financial Officer and a public policy professor at George Washington University.