Can development happen without displacement? Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood is a test case

A decade of research on Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood finds that major riverfront investment did not push out longtime residents.

By: Ira Goldstein, University of Pennsylvania, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: October 1, 2026

Words: 1,316

Last Updated: 2 weeks, 3 days ago

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By Ira Goldstein, University of Pennsylvania

Neighborhood investments meant to improve housing and opportunity often spark fears of gentrification and displacement. That worry is playing out in Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood, where a stalled Second Avenue housing project sits blocks from the 178-acre Hazelwood Green riverfront development.

Hazelwood is a natural experiment that answers the question: Can development happen without displacement?

Residents feared the millions of dollars spent to clean up and redevelop Hazelwood …

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