Media portrayal of gentrification and redevelopment on Rainey Street in Austin, Texas (USA), 2000–2014

Abstract

Abstract The Austin-San Antonio, Texas metropolitan region has become one of the fastest growing U.S. conurbations in recent years. One derivative of this growth has been ubiquitous gentrification and urban renewal in portions of both cities. In this paper, we develop a contextual narrative of urban change in Austin, Texas (USA) and explore media portrayals of actors and impacts of urban renewal and gentrification. We present a case study of the Rainey Street Historical District, once a low-income, majority Hispanic neighborhood, and its transformation through rezoning efforts and entrepreneurial enterprises into Austin's newest nightlife district. We used a directed-content analysis approach to analyze 48 articles from three local news outlets from 2000 to 2014. Our analysis shows that much of the narrative presented by the news media focused on neighborhood-scale development impacts, followed by impacts related to resentment and conflict and the social costs of urban change. Results indicate that city officials and residents played a prominent role in shaping the discourse of the urban change narrative. We conclude by situating our findings within two pivotal events that occurred during the study period and argue that the context in which discursive frames develop, persist, and change is important to understanding the impacts of urban renewal and gentrification on a variety of actors.