Beth McConnell is Policy Director of the Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corporations. PACDC represents more than 100 member organizations, including nearly 50 community development corporations, who work to develop affordable housing, revitalize commercial corridors, and stabilize Philadelphia's neighborhoods. Beth works to advance a policy agenda that helps them do their great work. She leads PACDC’s efforts to advance city, state and federal policies that help CDCs revitalize Philadelphia’s neighborhoods and rebuild communities.
The National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) earlier this year released a research report called Shifting Neighborhoods: Gentrification and Cultural Displacement in American Cities, and Philadelphia has the dubious distinction of being one of the worst cities for black residents being displaced by real estate development.
In this interview, Beth tells us about the broad findings of the NCRC’s study and gives us a historical context to understanding gentrification in Philadelphia.
