Gentrification and Health: A Review of the Literature, 2018–2023

Abstract

Purpose of Review

In this review, we focus on the health impacts of gentrification for residents of gentrifying areas versus comparison groups. This study builds on prior literature reviews that have been similar in focus, and summarizes US-based articles published between January 2018 and January 2023.

Recent Findings

The 22 studies included in this review measured multiple health outcomes, including both physical and mental health, and demonstrated mixed results across those health outcomes, including both positive and negative associations, related to gentrification. The variations in measurement methodology for both gentrification and health outcomes, however, make findings in this domain very difficult to summarize. Nonetheless, one theme that emerges across the existing body of research is that the health outcomes associated with gentrification, whether positive or negative in the context of a given study, are generally worse for Black residents when race is considered.

Summary

We identified several key challenges related to measuring the association between gentrification and health. These include: 1) the presence of social and physical conditions that make it hard to isolate the effects of gentrification, 2) reliance on self-reported outcome data, and most significantly, 3) lack of longitudinal measurements on a consistent cohort of individuals over time. Ultimately, these collective gaps in the literature strongly suggest that more research is needed before social and public health scientists can have a robust understanding of how gentrification affects the health of a population.