Saviors, Villains, or Allies? Exploring How Nonprofit Developers Navigate Narratives of Gentrification in a Changing City

Abstract

In this paper, we explore the role of community-based, nonprofit community development organizations within competing narratives of neighborhood change. Using Grand Rapids, Michigan as our case study, we analyze data composed of historical news articles from local media and in-depth interviews with key community stakeholders. First, we identify three competing narratives of neighborhood change, highlighting the varying roles that nonprofit developers have played over time—from heroes to villains to allies. Next, we use the interview data to tease out how nonprofit developers make sense of and respond to these evolving and competing narratives of change. We find that nonprofit developers are deeply concerned about residents’ fears of gentrification and displacement and are, in principle, committed to deep community engagement. However, these organizations are constrained by their position within the development system as they navigate community needs versus their own organizational goals.

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