A concern that many of us have is that the rapid gentrification happening in places such as San Francisco is having a negative impact on affordability. Is Boston susceptible? Is it possible that a booming tech industry is contributing to this process? How can we contribute to a policy discussion?
Our approach is to examine neighborhoods that are considered "gentrified" and establish a baseline of data that gives a rich picture for how the neighborhood has changed over time. From there, we can begin to gather qualitative measures regarding factors such as policy decisions and technology development to see if there are any correlations.
Part of the Code for America Brigade network, we are a volunteer group of developers, designers, data geeks, and citizen activists who use creative technology to solve civic and social problems. You are welcome to help work on Ungentry or meet with us where you can see any number of other projects.