Supply and Demand: Debating the Blame for Gentrification

Jim Russell and Daniel Kay Hertz are engaged in an ongoing debate about how supply and demand in markets of so-called "superstar metros" influences processes of gentrification.

1 minute read

May 28, 2014, 5:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Jim Russell writes the most recent installment in the debate, clarifying points he originally made about recent academic research "that adds to the literature about the real estate market problems caused by limited (by whatever means) supply." The original report is called Superstar Cities, authored by Joseph Gyourko, Christopher Mayer, and Todd Sinai.

Russell's clarifying point: "What defines the geographic variance in [the research] case is the quality of demand, not the restriction of supply. Lots of places have some sort of constraint on housing. Few of those places qualify as 'superstar'….Within a metro, quality of supply matters, too."

Russell's most recent post responded to a post by Daniel Kay Hertz saying that Russell originally turned the conclusion of the study on its head. From Hertz's analysis of the white paper: "The housing crisis that’s led to wildly growing income segregation everywhere from Chicago to Kansas City is, actually, about 'demand outstripping supply.' And this paper is just the last in a long line of research supporting that conclusion."

Tuesday, May 27, 2014 in Pacific Standard

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

Entrance to subterranean Hollywood/Vine Metro station in Los Angeles, California surrounded by tall apartment buildings.

Opinion: California’s SB 79 Would Improve Housing Affordability and Transit Access

A proposed bill would legalize transit-oriented development statewide.

April 21 - San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Yellow roadside sign with extreme heat warning: "Danger - Extreme Conditions! - STOP - Do not hike Jun-Sep - HEAT KILLS"

Record Temperatures Prompt Push for Environmental Justice Bills

Nevada legislators are proposing laws that would mandate heat mitigation measures to protect residents from the impacts of extreme heat.

April 21 - Nevada Current

View of downtown Pittsburgh, PA with river and bridge in foreground at dusk.

Downtown Pittsburgh Set to Gain 1,300 New Housing Units

Pittsburgh’s office buildings, many of which date back to the early 20th century, are prime candidates for conversion to housing.

April 21 - Axios