Revitalisation of a small US city: Assessing potential gentrification impacts of Middletown, Connecticut’s renaissance

Abstract

This research focuses on Middletown, Connecticut’s revitalisation of its downtown and adjacent North End neighbourhood. In the early 1990s, these areas were considered blighted, with many boarded-up shopfronts and substandard housing structures that most city residents avoided entirely due to perceptions of crime. Since that time, the city government partnered with the North End Action Team (NEAT), a non-profit advocacy group, to advance key redevelopment projects, resulting in an award-winning renaissance of the downtown area. Downtown Middletown is now an attractive place for locals and visitors alike to stroll, dine and spend money. While the downtown has become desirable, it is not clear if this renaissance has resulted in gentrification-related displacement of existing low-income residents. This study assesses socioeconomic indicators commonly associated with gentrification and determines that, despite Middletown’s rapid transformation, residential displacement from gentrification has not yet occurred. The strong role of NEAT in advocating for the provision of mixed-income housing and for maintaining social service providers while the city began redeveloping a brownfield site into a business incubator are key factors in preventing widespread displacement of low-income residents.