Summary
On April 16, the Vanderbilt Institute for Smart Cities Operations Research (VISOR) hosted a Workshop on Data in Gentrification and Equitable Development at Vanderbilt University to address gentrification related issues faced by communities in Nashville. The goal of the workshop was to bring together a collaborative group of experts from academia, local government, and nonprofit organizations to evaluate challenges identified by city and community leaders and establish how these challenges can be better understood and solved through the use of data. In addition to building on partnerships between Metro Nashville and Vanderbilt, this workshop highlighted community and civic efforts that are actively supporting equitable development in neighborhoods across Nashville.
The workshop included keynote speeches by Dr. Ken Steif, the Program Director for the Master of Urban Spatial Analytics at the University of Pennsylvania, and Erin McElroy co-founder of the San Francisco-based Anti-Eviction Mapping Project.
Dr. Steif shared insights from his work using spatial analysis, econometrics, and machine learning to forecast gentrification for data driven public policy. Dr. Steif recapped his keynote address in a recent blog post titled: Teaching the machines about gentrification and equity.
Erin McElroy showcased community mapping, data visualization, and anti-eviction work that she has been pursuing in the San Francisco area. McElroy highlighted the power and importance of community level action and the positive changes then can occur through collective organizing efforts.
Attendees of the workshop also had two opportunities to participate in breakout session discussions to delve into specific topics surrounding gentrification and equitable development. Breakout session topics included transportation and gentrification, schools and gentrification, data and gentrification, differential impacts on diverse groups, health and gentrification, short term renter’s rights, and forecasting gentrification. Breakout groups then reported summaries of their discussions back to the entire group.
During the breakout session as well as during the keynotes multiple themes emerged including but not limited to the ability of data from public, private and non-profit (citizen actors) sources. With special attention given to the use of these sources to create forecasting tools that promote equitable development and combat gentrification.
Conversations also covered issues of governance and the democratization of data, and the need for all community actors to have access to information critical to protecting the rights and well-being of vulnerable populations facing displacement.
In addition to these keynote speeches and breakout discussions, the workshop also hosted several short talks by local academics and policymakers.
Dr. James Fraser from Vanderbilt University opened the workshop and spoke about the importance of addressing gentrification in Nashville, as well as past and current activism efforts.
Adriane Harris, the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Housing provided an overview of the Nashville landscape and discussed her office’s work to increase access to affordable housing in Nashville.
Dr. Wansoo Im, Associate Professor at Meharry Medical College, spoke about his efforts to use community mapping to improve pedestrian safety around Nashville schools.
Erik Cole, former Metro Chief Resilience Officer, and Anne Havard, Deputy Resilience Officer from the Mayor’s Office, closed the workshop with a discussion of future plans for Nashville and VISOR.
In response to the conversations and information shared during the workshop, there is a desire for collective efforts around creating “power maps” to better understand the layers of Nashville’s ‘smart city’ assembly, and the groups affiliated with this movement.
The creation of power maps will also address the widely shared concern of power and authority, and how these dynamics contribute to rapid gentrification in Nashville.
Data has the ability to provide powerful insights into inequities and injustices happening throughout our communities. However, data only tells a piece of a community’s narrative. Shifting the perception that communities simply create noise around issues of injustice to communities having an equitable voice in creating sustainable change, will require efforts from all members of our community, including those at the policy, civic, and academic levels.
Moving forward, although the formal VISOR project is winding down, we hope to continue this important work and consolidate workshop insights into a Data in Gentrification and Equitable Development Report to be shared with all attendees and Nashville policymakers.