Is urban decay bad? Is urban revitalization bad too?

Neighborhood revitalization could, in theory, harm some existing residents if it leads to price increases that exceed their willingness-to-pay. I use data from the American Housing Survey to estimate a discrete choice model identifying households’ willingness-to-pay for neighborhood quality. These willingness-to-pay estimates are then compared to the actual price changes that accompany observed changes in neighborhood quality. The results suggest that price increases associated with revitalization are smaller than most households’ willingness to pay for neighborhood improvements. Conversely, declines in neighborhood quality are generally not accompanied by rent declines sufficient to compensate the typical resident. For the majority of the population, then, neighborhood revitalization is beneficial and decline detrimental.