Every community is different. In smaller cities where commutes have not yet become oppressive, there may not be much interest in gentrification. In bigger cities, there is.
Lousy schools are a huge problem. As I posted earlier, I think that vouchering the schools would be the single most important thing we could do to revitalize the cities. And I think school choice will eventually happen, despite the union opposition; inner city parents want it desperately, so it’s not just a conservative/libertarian cause.
Getting rid of big housing projects and switching to decentralized, scattered site approaches is essential. The crime/drugs/gang war has to be won block by block. Strong support from the police and City Hall helps. Not all cities will respond effectively, but many will, and there are enough mature examples to have confidence that the fight can be won. Families with young kids are usually not the first wave; it’s young singles, especially young men, often with a bit of a bohemian streak. They establish the beachheads, and then it grows. From a DC perspective, I sometimes think this is the purpose for which God invented gay men. In a tough neighborhood, they’re one of the leading indicators that things are turning around, and they do beautiful rehab jobs.
In many cities, the sketchy neighborhoods tend to be the older neighborhoods, often with solid (sometimes grand) old houses with good bones. If someone gets there in time, these can be great reclamation projects and real moneymakers for the early gentrifiers. It’s enough of an incentive that people are willing to try. Your mileage may differ.
By all means, if you work in the burbs, live in the burbs. But if you are spending two to four hours a day in your car, there may be a better way.
If driving 2 hours a day means RIGHT NOW getting a near-acre of forest, good local school options, pleasant amenities, low crime, modest taxes & costs, and all the other desirable factors, then so be it.
You can try to manipulate & fight for long term results in undesirable areas; be my guest. I have a life to live and family to raise RIGHT NOW. And if you use police power of the state to herd us into your cattle cars and pens, you won’t like the pushback. You may think those cattle pens are very nice, but we don’t and will not consent.
My family’s fair share of this planet’s land surface is ~20 acres. I intend to acquire it.