Been-Heres Versus Come-Heres Negotiating Conflicting Community Identities

Abstract

This article explores the similar types of conflicts that arise in gentrifying neighborhoods and rural counties in the wake of rapid inmigration. As newcomers move into established communities — whether in downtowns or in the remote countryside — they generate a critical mass of people with greater access to resources than long-term residents. Privatization often accompanies this redistribution of resources, and the resulting conflict over resource allocation is clothed in the language of different values regarding the community's identity. Planners are encouraged to recognize the importance of changing collective visions of community in their attempts to negotiate conflict.