Gentrification in JP/Rox : seeking a collaborative local process for a regional problem

Abstract

This thesis takes a case study approach to explore gentrification in Boston, the policies designed to mitigate it, and the public participation process by which these policies are crafted and implemented. It focuses on the JP/Rox planning process in the Jamaica Plain and Roxbury neighborhoods of the city through interviews with neighborhood residents, non-profits, and city policymakers who were involved in the process. In particular, the thesis explores the inherent tension between urban planning's contemporary commitment to local decision-making power and a regional problem such as the housing market. In order to obviate the collective action problem of diffused benefits and concentrated costs created by this local/regional dichotomy while maintaining a commitment to local input and knowledge, interviews with stakeholders suggest a more collaborative approach to local planning may be necessary. In particular, such an approach would entail a focus on convening appropriate stakeholder groups, engaging in joint fact finding, generating creative trades among parties, implementing agreed-upon goals, and jointly monitoring outcome metrics. This restructured process of public participation would require a more active governmental role in organizing the public and require trust from city policymakers and neighborhood residents alike, but could achieve greater buy-in for larger regional action at the local level.