input Fort Wayne, March 17, 2021, Will Electric Works be an ‘inclusive’ development in Fort Wayne?
In recent years, Fort Wayne has seen considerable growth and development in the form of public and private projects—from the Parkview Regional Medical Center’s sprawling Dupont campus to the City of Fort Wayne’s decade-long transformation of downtown, starting with Parkview Field in 2009. But while many projects have enhanced Fort Wayne’s quality of life in specific ways, for specific people, their effects haven’t been all positive or inclusive—particularly for the city’s most underprivileged residents and neighborhoods.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Gentrification occurs when neighborhoods are transformed from low to high value and can result in displacing long-term residents and businesses.” That displacement tends to negatively impact low-income, rural, Black, and Hispanic residents while concentrating wealth and wealth-building opportunities in areas that exclude them, a 2019 study by National Community Reinvestment Coalition found.
While gentrification is not yet widespread in Fort Wayne, a National Community Reinvestment Coalition study says Fort Wayne is showing early signs of gentrification, particularly as downtown and its nearby neighborhoods see reinvestment.
