Thriving in Place is Salt Lake City’s community-driven process to analyze and understand gentrification and displacement.
Through this work, we developed a plan of action to address the factors that are forcing many of our friends, family members, and neighbors to leave, or to live without a home, because they can’t find housing here that they can afford.
This process took place in two phases:
Phase One: Listening and Learning
We started by making sure we understand the problems we are trying to solve as well as the opportunities and assets that can help address them. In addition to data-driven analyses, we wanted to hear from the community about their experiences of gentrification and displacement, providing a fuller understanding of the dynamics and impacts of gentrification. We also documented and mapped community assets—the special places and cultural resources as well as individuals and organizations that contribute to community cohesion.
Phase Two: Crafting Collaborative Solutions
Based on what we learn in Phase One, we worked together to agree upon priorities and actions for addressing displacement. An important focus was on defining a shared framework that can guide coordinated action by the City in collaboration with other agencies and community partners.
This work is overseen by the Department of Community and Neighborhoods
This work is overseen by the Department of Community and Neighborhoods in close collaboration with City Council, the Mayor’s Office and other City departments.
The City team worked together to ensure a coordinated study process and is collaborating on delivering the plan of action. The project is managed by the Department of Community and Neighborhoods. Other City departments and divisions involved in the project’s Steering Committee include:
Arts Council
Building & Licensing Services
City Attorney’s Office
City Council Office
Civic Engagement
Economic Development
Housing Stability
Mayor’s Office
Parks & Public Lands
Planning
Public Services
Public Utilities
Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City
Sustainability
Transportation
Youth & Family Services
Questions? If you’d like to contact the City about this effort, please write to ThrivingInPlace@slcgov.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
Our Team
The City brought together a team of national and local experts for this effort, with deep experience in measuring and analyzing gentrification and displacement, crafting policies and programs, and creating community-driven participatory processes.
Community Planning Collaborative
Community Planning Collaborative (previously Baird + Driskell Planning) brings decades of experience in designing, facilitating, and delivering on community-driven planning processes, with a strong focus on affordable housing tools and policies, equitable development, and community sustainability. David Driskell served as overall project manager and lead for the Community Planning Collaborative team.
The Urban Displacement Project
Based out of the University of California, Berkeley’s Center for Community Innovation, UDP a national leader in analyzing and mapping the forces of gentrification and translating data results into meaningful policy recommendations. Tim Thomas and Julia Greenberg were the leads for UDP’s research work.
The University of Utah’s Department of City and Metropolitan Planning
CMP is deeply involved in Salt Lake City’s community planning, working in close partnership with community organizations and individuals to undertake leading-edge research and action to better understand issues that we face today and shape the community we want into the future. Ivis Garcia Zambrana and Alessandro Rigolon were the leads for CMP’s engagement and planning work for the project.