From Segregation to Gentrification
Lessons from Seattle and Detroit: How city policies and NIMBYism lead to unimpeded market forces displacing poor people of color
Seattle and Detroit are two cities with similar population sizes (684K and 677K respectively). Thirty-five is the median age of residents, with a home ownership rate of 46.6% in both cities. Both have a vibrant downtown district located adjacent to large bodies of water.
But that’s where the major similarities end.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
Seattle is one of America’s top economically competitive tech-innovation ecosystems. It has more than 415,000 employees, 6% job growth and a poverty rate of only 12% (compared to a national rate of just over 14%). Median household income is more than $80K and growing at 13%. Median property values are $530K and growing at more than 12% annually. The most populous demographic groups are white (66%), Asian (14%) and black (7%).