Gentrification is a term that sparks intense debate, and in Albuquerque, it is often misunderstood. While many blame new development for rising housing costs and displacement, the reality is more complex. At its core, gentrification is driven by scarcity—the lack of walkable, desirable neighborhoods where people want to live. By restricting new housing in popular areas and failing to create more "nice places" across the city, we unintentionally concentrate demand in a few neighborhoods, driving up prices and pushing out longtime residents.

The Rarity of Pre-War Neighborhoods

Walkable, human-scaled neighborhoods with historic homes and local businesses are rare in Albuquerque. Areas like Huning Highland (EDo), Nob Hill, West Downtown, Old Town, Barelas, Martineztown, and Silver Hill stand out against a backdrop of car-dependent sprawl. These pre-war neighborhoods offer something that much of the city lacks: vibrant streets, mixed-use development, and accessibility to daily needs without relying on a car.

Why Scarcity Fuels Gentrification

With so few neighborhoods offering these qualities, demand far exceeds supply. This imbalance leads to skyrocketing prices, making it difficult for longtime residents to afford their homes. The influx of higher-income newcomers seeking the walkability and historic charm of these areas further exacerbates displacement.

Opposition to Change Worsens the Problem

When neighborhoods resist zoning reforms that allow for additional housing, they inadvertently worsen the housing crisis. Without the ability to build more homes, demand continues to focus on a small number of existing homes, leading to fierce competition and price hikes. As these neighborhoods become more desirable, existing residents struggle to compete with newcomers in a limited housing market.

Why Pre-War Design Matters

What makes these historic neighborhoods so attractive? They were built incrementally, allowing for a mix of housing types and businesses to evolve over time. Their pedestrian-friendly design prioritizes community and accessibility over car dependency. These features create vibrant, resilient communities that remain desirable for generations.

The Consequences of Saying "No"

Restricting development outside of these historic areas only increases their exclusivity. Scarcity drives up prices, making these neighborhoods even less accessible to middle- and lower-income residents. In contrast, cities that embrace incremental density citywide allow for natural housing growth, reducing pressure on historic districts and creating more equitable access to desirable neighborhoods.

The Solution: Build More Nice Places

The only way to ease pressure on historic neighborhoods like Nob Hill is to build more walkable, mixed-use places across the city. Projects like Culdesac in Tempe, AZ, demonstrate that attractive, car-free developments can be successfully integrated into a region. By embracing thoughtful infill development, we can create more vibrant, inclusive communities while balancing the housing market.

Why can’t we build more neighborhoods like Nob Hill or Huning Highland today? The answer is simple: it’s illegal under our current zoning and land use code. The massive parking minimums, excessive development red tape, large minimum lot sizes, and permitting hurdles that exist today didn’t exist when these neighborhoods were built.

In these historic neighborhoods, you’ll find smaller homes on small lots, casitas, townhomes, small and medium apartment buildings, and mixed-use development—all integrated naturally in a human-scaled way. But today, our zoning laws outlaw this kind of organic growth, making these places uniquely rare and increasingly expensive. If we don’t allow new "nice places" to appear and evolve naturally, as these neighborhoods once did, they will remain exclusive, inaccessible commodities rather than vibrant communities.

Lessons from Strong Towns

To combat gentrification, we must expand access to quality neighborhoods across Albuquerque by:

1. Reforming zoning laws to allow for by-right missing-middle and incremental housing citywide.

2. Encouraging walkable, bikable, and transit-friendly designs that reduce car dependency.

3. Allowing for more mixed-use development, including within residential areas.

4. Prioritizing infill development over continued cycles of sprawl.

Shaping Growth, Not Resisting It

As Strong Towns founder Charles Marohn puts it, "No neighborhood should experience radical change, but no neighborhood can be exempt from change." Growth is inevitable, but how we manage it matters. By participating in citywide efforts to expand housing and create more "nice places," Albuquerque can ensure that development reflects community values while remaining accessible and equitable for all residents.

A Future of Plentiful Nice Places

Imagine an Albuquerque where neighborhoods like Nob Hill aren’t the exception but the norm—where every resident has access to vibrant, walkable communities. This future is possible, but only if we embrace policies that allow neighborhoods to evolve and adapt to meet the needs of a growing city.