Infill and Gentrification – What’s the Difference?
Two terms are often used to describe this change: infill development and gentrification. While both involve new developments in urban areas, they have distinct meanings and implications. Understanding the differences between infill and gentrification is crucial for creating healthier, more equitable cities where all residents can thrive.
Rockford Construction is a trusted commercial and residential contractor for infill projects throughout central Ohio. As such, we’ve seen great progress in revitalizing urban communities in sustainable and equitable ways. This article will delve deeper into the definitions, impacts, and strategies for achieving infill development without gentrification.
What is Infill?
Infill development is a type of urban development that focuses on building new residential or commercial structures on vacant or underutilized parcels within existing neighborhoods. These parcels might be abandoned lots, rundown buildings, or other sites that are not being used to their full potential.
By targeting these infill sites, various stakeholders, including developers, community organizers, environmental groups, legislators, and policy-makers involved in urban planning, can make informed decisions and efficiently use existing infrastructure, such as roads, utilities, and public transportation, to better serve the community.
This approach helps reduce urban sprawl, preserve green space, and support more sustainable growth patterns. Urban infill development can take many forms, from new single-family homes, apartment complexes, and special-use residences to shops, restaurants, and other businesses.
When done well, infill can enhance the quality of life for existing residents, providing better amenities, services, and opportunities. It can also increase property values, making the neighborhood more desirable without displacing long-time residents.
What is Gentrification?
Gentrification, on the other hand, is a more loaded term. It describes a process in which wealthier people move into a working-class or impoverished neighborhood, often one that has been historically home to people of color. As these new residents arrive, property values and price points on rentals rise, making the area unaffordable for the existing low-income residents.
Long-time residents may be priced out of their own homes, and the cultural identity and community character of the neighborhood can be lost. While gentrification is often accompanied by new construction, new investment, and upgraded amenities, these benefits typically accrue to the new arrivals rather than the existing community.
Gentrification raises concerns about displacement, inequity, and the rights of existing residents to remain in their homes and communities.
While both infill and gentrification involve change in urban neighborhoods, the intent, impacts, and implications are distinct. Infill aims to revitalize underutilized areas in a way that benefits existing residents, enhancing the quality of life and character of the neighborhood.
Gentrification, by contrast, involves the displacement of existing residents by more affluent newcomers, leading to a loss of affordability and community identity.
Infill Development: Efficient Use of Existing Infrastructure
One of the primary advantages of infill development is its ability to leverage the infrastructure already in place. This includes roads, utilities, public transportation, schools, and community services. By building within established neighborhoods, infill projects reduce the need for costly investments in new infrastructure.
This not only saves municipalities and taxpayers money but also maximizes the return on past infrastructure investments. Additionally, infill development often requires less land acquisition compared to greenfield development on the urban fringe, further enhancing its financial viability.
Infill development is a fiscally responsible and efficient approach to meeting our housing and commercial space needs.
Reduction of Urban Sprawl
Infill development plays a crucial role in containing urban sprawl and preserving our natural landscapes. By focusing on smart growth within existing city boundaries, infill projects reduce the pressure to develop greenfield sites on the outskirts of urban areas. This helps preserve open space, farmland, and wildlife habitats that are often lost to suburban expansion.
Infill development also decreases the environmental impact associated with sprawl, such as increased vehicle emissions, air pollution, and climate change. By promoting more compact, walkable development patterns, infill housing helps create more sustainable and resilient cities.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, infill development can reduce the amount of land needed for development by up to 75%, preserving green space and natural resources for future generations.
Revitalization of Underutilized Urban Areas
Perhaps most importantly, infill development has the power to transform neglected or abandoned urban areas into thriving communities. By developing vacant lots and rehabilitating rundown buildings, infill projects can address issues of blight and disinvestment that plague many urban neighborhoods.
This revitalization can increase property values, attract new businesses and residents, and stimulate local economic growth. Infill development can also enhance the quality of life for existing residents, providing better amenities, services, and opportunities.
Strategies for Infill Without Gentrification
Achieving the benefits of infill development without the downsides of gentrification requires careful planning, community engagement, and a commitment to equity. Here are some strategies for inclusive infill development that benefit all members of the community:
Community Engagement
Meaningful involvement of existing residents is crucial from the outset of any infill project. This means more than just holding a public meeting to present plans – it requires proactive outreach and genuine partnership with the community. Developers should engage with residents, business owners, and community organizations to understand their needs, concerns, and vision for the neighborhood. This helps ensure that new development aligns with the community’s goals and enhances the quality of life for existing residents.
Mixed-Income Housing
Inclusive infill projects should include a mix of housing types to serve different income levels. This means not only market-rate units but also affordable housing, including rentals and for-sale options. Policies like inclusionary zoning can require developers to include a certain percentage of affordable units in their projects. By providing housing options for people of all income levels, mixed-income developments can help preserve the economic diversity of the neighborhood and prevent the displacement of low-income residents.
Affordability Preservation
In addition to creating new affordable units, it’s also important to preserve existing affordable housing stock. This might involve rehabilitating existing buildings, acquiring and preserving affordable properties, or using subsidies to maintain affordability over the long term. Rent control and just-cause eviction policies can also help prevent the displacement of existing tenants as the neighborhood gentrifies.
Investment in Community Amenities
Infill development should benefit existing residents, not just new arrivals. This means investing in amenities and services that serve the existing community, such as parks, community centers, health clinics, and local businesses. These amenities can enhance the quality of life for all residents and help build a more cohesive, equitable community.
Equitable Development Agreements
Community land trusts (CLTs) and community development agreements (CDAs) are tools that can help ensure infill development benefits the existing community. CLTs allow community organizations to acquire and hold land for the community’s benefit, preserving affordability and preventing speculation.
CDAs are agreements between developers and community coalitions that outline the terms of a development project, including commitments around affordability, local hiring, and community benefits.
What Does Infill Success Look Like? Here Are Some Great Examples.
There are many examples of cities that have successfully achieved infill without gentrification. In San Francisco’s Mission District, the Mission Housing Development Corporation and BRIDGE, two non-profits, spearheaded the development of a mixed-use project to bring affordable housing to the area. La Fénix, offers 157 homes, of which 40 are reserved for families who were previously homeless.
This project combines community land trusts, affordable housing development, and support for small businesses. The goal is to preserve the cultural and economic vibrancy of this predominantly Latino neighborhood.
The Belmont Dairy project in Portland, Oregon, transformed an abandoned 1929 dairy building into a 141,000-square-foot, transit-friendly mixed-use space. Now, it boasts 85 apartments, street-level retail, and a grocery store. Sustainability was key, with recycled materials, water conservation, and over 90% of construction waste recycled.
This infill project revitalized the neighborhood and showcased Portland’s approach to compact urban redevelopment.
Here in Columbus, Rockford Construction, working in collaboration with the non-profit Harrison West Society helped launch Harrison Park West, a single-family residential urban infill project with 63 units located near downtown Columbus. It features single-family homes, townhouses, and multi-family apartments.
Their shared goal of turning what was once an abandoned soybean and margarine processing plant into a vibrant community space near the city’s Short North entertainment district has proven wildly successful.
These examples illustrate that with careful planning, community engagement, and a commitment to equity, it is possible to achieve the benefits of infill development – revitalized neighborhoods, efficient use of infrastructure, and enhanced quality of life – without displacing existing lower-income residents.
By learning from these successes and implementing strategies for inclusive infill, we can create more equitable, resilient, and just cities for all.
Is Infill Right for You?
As we’ve explored throughout this article, while both infill development and gentrification involve change in urban neighborhoods, the intent, impacts, and implications are distinct. Understanding these differences is crucial for creating more equitable and sustainable cities.
As you embark on starting an infill project, keep these key distinctions in mind:
Intent and Goals
Infill development aims to revitalize underutilized areas in a way that benefits existing residents, enhancing the quality of life and character of the neighborhood. Gentrification, by contrast, involves the displacement of existing residents, often low-income and minority, by more affluent newcomers, leading to a loss of community identity and affordability.
Impact on Property Values
Infill can enhance property values in a way that benefits existing property owners, making the neighborhood more desirable without displacing long-time residents. Gentrification leads to rising property prices and rents that price out existing residents as the area becomes unaffordable for low- and moderate-income households.
The Role of Affordability
True infill development includes a mix of housing types, including affordable and market-rate units, to serve different income levels and preserve the neighborhood’s economic diversity. Gentrification often involves market-rate construction that is out of reach for existing lower-income residents, contributing to their displacement as the area gentrifies.
Relationship with the Existing Community
Infill involves meaningful engagement with existing residents and community organizations, aiming to enhance their quality of life and meet their needs. Gentrification often involves the marginalization and displacement of existing community members as the cultural and socioeconomic character of the neighborhood shifts with the arrival of more affluent new residents.
Careful Planning with an Experienced Partner
By recognizing these differences, we can work towards a model of urban development that is inclusive, equitable, and benefits all members of the community. With careful planning, community engagement, and a commitment to affordability, we can achieve the benefits of infill – revitalized neighborhoods, efficient use of infrastructure, enhanced quality of life – without the downsides of gentrification – displacement, loss of affordability, erosion of community identity.
The future of our cities depends on our ability to navigate the complex dynamics of urban change in a way that is just and sustainable for all.
At Rockford Construction, we are dedicated to the principles of inclusive infill development and have extensive experience delivering projects that benefit our clients and the wider community. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help your community take advantage of infill opportunities while avoiding the pitfalls of gentrification.
