Transforming Blight and the People Who Live There: A Study of Redevelopment Planning and Neighborhood Change

Abstract

This study examines the effects of a redevelopment project, called the Model School Project, on the community of City Heights in central San Diego, California. Sixty-two in-person surveys were administered to gather the perspectives of three groups affected by the Model School Project: displaced residents, existing residents, and project participants. The study's aim was to determine how the perceptions of project residents and professional project participants varied, in other words how the ‘insider’ and ‘outsider’ place identities varied. The survey showed significant differences in residents' and professional project participants' views related to neighborhood quality and project impacts. The findings suggest that the planning profession still faces hurdles in accurately understanding the nature of blight and thereby bringing about effective neighborhood change.