Gentrification by Design

There have long been concerns about the role of gentrification as a part of urban policy and the class struggles that persist. Governments increasingly looking to balance the desire for economic growth, incorporate gentrification through revitalization, redevelopment, and regeneration projects that raise housing values, deplete affordable housing, and favor investment as a coffer for municipal budgets. This research submits that we can now add we can now add “recovery” projects to the list of “projects” that are increasingly co-opted by economic recovery and utilize gentrification as a form of fiscal pragmatism. Tourism gentrification has only recently garnered attention with the proliferation of short-term rentals and the sharing economy. Such is the case in Puerto Rico, which was devastated by Hurricane Maria in 2017. This study employs a case study of Aguadilla Puerto Rico to explore the relationship between Puerto Rico’s recovery policies and tourism gentrification in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. A mixed method approach of secondary data, and content analysis is enriched with qualitative resident interviews and questionnaires that describe how economic recovery policies have leveraged federal funding to fuel tourism as its primary source of economic recovery. The governments recovery plan, Transformation and Innovation in the Wake of Devastation: An economic and disaster recovery plan for Puerto Rico, has contributed to a surge in tourism demand, the proliferation of short-term rentals, and increasing community frustrations. In doing so, the dynamics of consumption and production have led to the emergence of tourism gentrification. The implications of this study are far reaching given the increasing urbanization of coastal areas that are vulnerable to the same processes. The study’s findings reflect sharp increases in housing values, visitors (tourists) and shortterm rentals soon after Hurricane Maria. After careful analysis of the recovery policies implemented in 2018, it is evident that these policies contribute significantly to the aforementioned tourism trends by emphasizing tourism demand and developing the visitor economy. Subsequently, what we find through analyzing community perceptions, is that not everyone is benefiting from the influx of tourism. In fact, many suggest the recovery polices have exploited residents’ trauma and colonial tensions. This study highlights how recovery has exposed class struggles and highlights the concerning implications of economic disaster recovery policies that are co-opted by economic development.