UCLA

Historic district designation is used as a tool in the management of neighborhood preservation, community economic development, and revitalization. However, criticism has arisen that designation can accelerate property values and rents, which can lead to gentrification and displacement. Although there are assertions that benefits accompany historic designation, they come from different socio-demographic and cultural contexts than Los Angeles. Up until now, no study examined the impacts and socioeconomic changes that occur within Los Angeles’ historic districts subsequent to their designation. Thus, studying the impacts of Historic Preservation Overlay Zones (HPOZs) provides an interesting comparison to the current literature that mostly examines the effect of such districts and gentrification in strongly centered urban regions, like New York.

The dissertation examined the effect of HPOZs on neighborhood change and

focused on three questions: (1) What physical and social changes can be attributed to historic designation? (2) Do residents experience gentrification? And (3) What were the underlying motivations for designation? The work employed a mixed-methods approach, which included three research stages: 1) principal component and cluster analysis of socioeconomic trends before and after designation (1970-2010), 2) development of neighborhood typologies, and 3) selection of case studies from different typologies.

The findings reveal that the benefits and disadvantages of designation differ by HPOZ based on socioeconomic differences. Although the case studies ranged from low, middle, to upper income areas (Black, White, and Latino), they all experienced varying degrees of gentrification or ascension—from super-gentrification (Lees 2003) to an influx of urban pioneers into low-income communities (Mollenkopf 1983). While one cannot say that HPOZs cause gentrification per se, they can intensify gentrification trends. Also, for lower and middle-class areas preservation was seen as an agent of change, while in wealthier areas preservation reinforced the status quo. HPOZs have empowered those with the loudest voices and strongest political connections, at the expense of the silent majority, leading to a less socially just and economically secure city (less affordable housing). The work concludes with recommendations for affordable preservation policies, such as flexible design standards, and greater community outreach requirements in relation to design and initial preservation decisions.