In October, the city of Birmingham will begin seeking input from residents in its attempt to tackle the negative effects of gentrification in neighborhoods.

This is the first phase of an estimated yearlong effort by a newly formed 70-member task force. The body is made up of individuals from government entities, community service agencies, higher education, financial services and neighborhood groups.

The first meetings are set for Oct. 5 at the Ward Building at Lawson State Community College and Oct. 19 at the Lurleen Wallace Building at Jefferson State Community College. Both meetings are set to start at 6 p.m.

Public input meetings are also set for Nov. 2 and Nov. 16. The location for the meetings has yet to be confirmed.

Chris Hatcher, an urban design administrator for the city of Birmingham, said city staff wants to hear how residents perceive gentrification, and explain the city's initiative during these meetings. The format will be the same at each one.

"Gentrification in itself is, for the most part, reinvesting in the community," he said. "The word itself carries this negative connotation - that you are investing the community, and you are isolating and (displacing) existing residents for new, wealthier ones.

"Birmingham is a city where we need reinvestment in our community," Hatcher added. "The reinvestment in our community is what we are trying to achieve. The forced displacement of people living in these communities is something that we don't want."

He said the city wants to put policies in place to mitigate displacement.

While researching how other cities handle gentrification, city planning staff haven't found good examples of proactive policies, Hatcher said, which is what Birmingham is seeking to implement.

He said gentrification isn't just about housing. It includes a whole gambit of social issues including access to quality education, public transportation, workplace training and access to health care.

The task force will look at ways the city can grow its economy while protecting the integrity and diversity of its communities and neighborhoods, Hatcher said.

Larry Watts, director of community planning for Goodwyn Mills Cawood in Birmingham, was one of the first people to volunteer to serve on the task force.

"I think the task force is a very timely thing," he said. "I think neighborhood revitalization is important to every city. Birmingham has experienced a lot of change in the last 20 years or so."

Watts specifically mentioned such areas as Parkside in downtown, Avondale and parts of Five Points South.

"It is important to take a good comprehensive look at the neighborhoods to see what sort of incentives neighborhoods might need," he said.

Watts said the city can't fix everything itself. Revitalization efforts will take an investment from the private sector.

By August 2018, the task force will recommend policies to the mayor and city council on how to mitigate the negative effects of revitalization.

These measures could include such things as allowing developers to build higher density residential developments, if they offer a set number of affordable units. It could also involve setting up a community land trust and partnering with businesses or non-profits.

Some of the proposed policy changes could require a law being passed by the Alabama Legislature, Hatcher said.

Members of Birmingham's Preserving Dynamic and Diverse Neighborhoods Task Force by Anonymous 8oSMfUa0p on Scribd