Gentrification Isn’t About Hipsters

Angelenos Worried About Their Changing Neighborhoods Are Better Off Going to City Planning Meetings than Complaining About Well-to-Do Newcomers

The term gentrification can be a catch-all word to characterize the arrival of hipsters, widely available wi-fi, and whites moving into neighborhoods of color. But at a “Thinking L.A.” event co-presented by UCLA, a panel of Angelenos who study and work to improve the city tried to hone in on how gentrification plays out on the ground—and how best to manage the forces that are rapidly transforming neighborhoods like Highland Park and Lincoln Heights.

The discussion before at a standing-room-only crowd at MOCA Grand Avenue produced a lot of knowing …