Cities Just Can't Win With Some People

I just read an attack (or at least an expression of concern about) gentrifiation of urban neighborhoods in the New Geography blog; Cleveland blogger Richey Piiparinen complains that the people moving back to the city are mostly white, and that this is bad their wealth is failing to "trickle down" to blacks.  

On the same blog, Wendell Cox responded to claims of gentrification with a post asserting that "Core City Growth Mainly Below Poverty Line." In this post, Cox asserts that the 2000s were no different from any other post-World War II decade, and that central cities continue to lose wealth.

Cities just can't win in some circles (and certainly not in New Geography): if they are getting more prosperous, someone on the Left will complain that this is somehow inequitable.  But if they aren't getting more prosperous a traditional sprawl apologist will argue that it is just more evidence that only poor people and eccentric hipsters want to live in cities.