Shifting neighborhoods, shifting health: A longitudinal analysis of gentrification and health in Los Angeles County

Abstract

Gentrification is characterized by an influx of capital, built environment upgrades, and physical and social displacement of residents and institutions. The numerous, relatively rapid transitions that occur during gentrification make accounting for duration of exposure to gentrification particularly important when exploring its relationship to health. Though a large literature explores how timing and duration of exposure to relatively stable neighborhood conditions is linked to health, little is known about how exposure to gentrification is linked to the health of longtime residents. Using restricted, longitudinal data from the Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey, I ask (1) how is duration of exposure to gentrification linked to the selfreported health of those who remain in the neighborhood? (2) How does this relationship vary for members of different racial and ethnic groups? Results indicate that the longer an individual lives in a gentrifying neighborhood, the better their self-reported health. The results do not vary by race or ethnicity. The results of this study are not an endorsement of the use of gentrification as a public health intervention, as previous work finds that gentrification can also be associated with social, physical, and institutional displacement, as well as heightened class-based and racial tensions. Instead, findings reiterate the importance of neighborhood investments for the health and wellbeing of their residents over time.

Gentrification, perceptions of neighborhood change, and mental health in Montréal, Québec

“…In addition, we examined the influence of duration living in a gentrified neighborhood, as measures of duration of exposure, often called dosage, are very common in epidemiology studies and in studies on neighborhood context and health. While prior research has shown some evidence that health is associated with duration of exposure to gentrification ( Agbai, 2021 ), we did not find evidence of a dosage effect of exposure to gentrification in this study. Residential history data also allowed us to look specifically at the duration of exposure to areas adjacent to gentrified census tracts where gentrification effects may cross census tract boundaries.…”

“…Often, a dichotomized measure simply distinguishes long-term from newer residents ( Hyra et al, 2019 ). Our residential history data allows us to derive more specific measures of cumulative exposure to gentrification in order to examine whether longer duration of exposure to gentrification is associated with mental health, similar to a recent approach used by Agbai (2021) . We chose to scale the duration measures into four categories: 0 months and three groups based on tertiles (duration in gentrified neighborhood tertiles: 1–59 months, 60–95 months, 96 or more months; duration in 250-m buffer tertiles: 1–34 months, 35–60 months, and 61 or more months).…”

“…Cross-sectional measures fail to capture the duration of exposure (i.e., how long someone has lived in the neighborhood) to different neighborhood contexts, which has important implications for health ( Wodtke et al, 2011 ). Few studies have examined duration of exposure (or dosage) to gentrification-specific neighborhood factors on health ( Agbai, 2021 ; Izenberg et al, 2018 ).…”

Urban health inequality in shifting environment: systematic review on the impact of gentrification on residents' health

“…The results vary significantly due to the differences in exposure time and the heterogeneity of the gentrification process itself, which can be taken as a cumulative effect or a threshold effect. Based on a follow-up study in Los Angeles, Agbai ( 96 ) concluded that the longer the time lived in a gentrified neighborhood, the better the self-rated health status; in this case, there were no racial differences. Regarding mental health, a California-wide study also pointed out that gentrification had a negative impact on long-term residents (>5 years), while it had no significant impact on new residents ( 71 ).…”

Neighborhood social organization exposures and racial/ethnic disparities in hypertension risk in Los Angeles

“…Another potential mechanism we encourage researchers to investigate is the evolving built environment in Los Angeles, particularly the role of community organizations, such as nonprofits [ 66 ], libraries [ 67 ], and other routine organizations geared toward improving the health, safety, and overall well-being of low-income, communities of color [ 68 ]. Gentrification processes should also be explored, as recent work suggests that living in gentrifying neighborhoods is equally beneficial for Black, White, and Latino residents [ 69 , 70 ].…”