Accidental Gentrifier: Lessons on Growing Cities, Saving Neighborhoods, and Supporting the Cultures That Call Them Home

An in-depth, nonpartisan analysis of gentrification as an opportunity to make change work for everyone from a veteran architect and urban planner.

Constant transformation is a given in urban life. However, re-vitalization and growth projects can often be sources of loss and displacement for many, creating mistrust and division. But change can be used for the common good. A vision of cities that serve everyone is possible, and begins with listening, engaging, and acting towards change together.

In The Accidental Gentrifier, Terry Shook chronicles his fifty-year path as an urban planner on the frontlines of urban evolution, shaping—and sometimes unintentionally destabilizing—communities. Candidly tracing his personal evolution and exposing the complexities behind gentrification in compelling and ongoing stories featuring real neighborhoods, he doesn’t simply define the problem and its effects but rather offers a message of hope and practical solutions towards equity, respect, and shared progress to save the cities we so cherish. Readers will learn:

• Why gentrification is both unavoidable and deeply misunderstood
• To identify ways urban professionals and citizens alike can influence positive growth
• How to advocate effectively for more sustainable, equitable cities
• How cities can be built in ways that honor their pasts

Accessible, urgent, and optimistic, The Accidental Gentrifier offers insight and guidance for the ordinary citizen seeking to understand gentrification, those who have been labeled “gentrifier,” and for those concerned about the fates of their cities.