Pete Saunders is a planning consultant and journalist based in Chicago. He blogs at The Corner Side Yard and today's article is republished from his blog with permission. It's a few years old but it rings quite true today. Pete prefaced its republication:

I'm beginning to believe we're at an inflection point when it comes to our nation's cities, gentrification and race. Many of the low to moderate income neighborhoods that were largely white in major cities have been revitalized. Many of the low to moderate income neighborhoods that are largely minority—particularly African-American—are patiently waiting their turn, yet nothing is happening. What's happening instead? Calls for upzoning as an affordable housing solution, or humorless and data-sourced attempts at letting potential gentrifiers know what areas should be avoided.

The continued revitalization of cities depends on breaking through this inflection point -- but it may require a social and cultural transformation in this nation far bigger than we're even ready to acknowledge.