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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Increasing density -- i.e. condos and apartments -- is the engine of gentrification.

You need a critical mass of people to live in an area before grocery stores and bars and stores and restaurants will move in. But once they do, it's off to the races. The neighborhood is suddenly "hot" and everyone wants to live there and prices skyrocket.

If you live in DC long enough, you see this happening over and over and over.

This idea that increasing density will cut housing prices defies the entire history of development in DC. [/quote]

I have been following housing in DC since the late 1980s.

Almost every neighborhood that gentrified did so with rehabbers at the cutting edge - moving a block or two over from already gentrified areas which were becoming more expensive.

They did not need super amenties, because they could use existing amenities a few blocks away.  Or drive to amenities (most rowhouse households had/have cars).

There was gentrification happening in the rowhouse blocks east of 14th Street at a time when 14th street was mostly old businesses, with a couple of theaters and a gay clinic mixed in (but  none of the latter relied on clients/attendees in walking distance) By the time 14th Street became "hot" people were already rehabbing rowhouses east of 9th street.

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