Date
10-16-2024
Department
Helms School of Government
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy (PhD)
Chair
Kahlib J. Fischer
Keywords
Critical Theory, Critical Race Theory, Disparate Impact, Fair Housing, Gentrification, Redevelopment, Redlining, White Flight, Blight, and Just Compensation
Disciplines
Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration
Recommended Citation
Dorsey, William, "Comparison of Redevelopment Policies, Gentrification, and Disparate Impact in Tallahassee, Dallas, and San Diego" (2024). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 6073.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/6073
Abstract
Previous studies found that the economics of poverty are closely tied to property values, education, and employment. Racial disparity in income also exists today. Part of this is attributed to mass gentrification through Urban Renewal Administration programs that legally displaced entire Black neighborhoods under the purview of the Housing Act of 1954 prior to the Fair Housing Act of 1968. For example, Harlem Park was vacated and redeveloped using eminent domain. Critical Race theorists claim that these programs continue today using colorblind policies and secondary discrimination. This dissertation sought to develop a theoretical understanding of the impact ideology has on the interpretation and implementation of redevelopment programs with the practical goal of reducing the disparate impact of development programs on minority and low-income families. It used the first two of three Disparate Impact Theory steps to compare the competing ideologies of gentrification from Critical Theory, Critical Race Theory, and Capitalism. These three steps include identification of a prima facie neutral de jure policy with a valid public perception and de facto gentrification, identification of a valid government purpose, and identification of viable alternative policies that meet those purposes. This dissertation determined that there is no de facto evidence to support the narratives of gentrification in Critical Theory and Critical Race Theory. Instead, it supports the Capitalist narrative that redevelopment correlates with increased prosperity for all races. However, there are valid de jure concerns from overly broad interpretation supporting the narratives of Critical Theory and Critical Race Theory. This paper concludes with a discussion about potential viable alternatives for step three as an area of future research.
