Health Outcomes of Gentrification: A Survey of Community Health Needs Assessments Across the U.S.

In the last three decades, increased acknowledgement of the potential harms of gentrification have led to more study of its potential impacts on health and wellbeing for existing residents. This thesis aims to summarize and evaluate the potential health effects of gentrification as suggested by the literature consensus and compare these findings to perceptions within the public health establishment, as represented by joint Community Health Needs Assessments from forty-seven geographically diverse metropolitan areas. Content analysis of selected CHNAs revealed low rates of inclusion of gentrification-related language, even among cities experiencing intense gentrification. This lack of gentrification language stood in contrast to the broad inclusion of housing as an important social determinant of health among CHNAs.

This work was completed as an undergraduate Distinguished Majors Thesis in the Department of Urban and Environmental Planning.