Neighborhood Change 1970-2016: Suburbanization, Gentrification, and Suburban Redevelopment

Across the Indianapolis region, neighborhoods have experienced rapid cultural changes and shifting housing demand. This research uses demographic data from the National Change Database and the American Community Survey to analyze relative changes in demographic factors that can indicate changes in neighborhood demand or cultural changes.

 

In the past fifty years, the 1970s and 2010s have been the fastest changing decades in terms of economic and demographic indicators. In the 1970s, suburbanization contributed to population loss and economic decline in urban areas.

 

Since 2010, many core Indianapolis neighborhoods have reversed these trends, growing wealthier, whiter, and more college-educated. Still, many have not experienced positive economic change. Half of Indianapolis residents live in neighborboohds with significant income declines over the past five decades.

 

The report is accompanied by interactive content and related stories. A web app allows users to explore the data used in this report to see how their own neighborhood has changed. Story maps and articles dive deeper into particular topics or neighborhoods, including interactive maps and historical context.