Tourism, Gentrification, and Drug Violations in New Orleans, 2013-2022

• In Event: Communities, Drugs, and Crime

Abstract

Gentrification is a social and spatial process that produces a structural shift in the patterns of crime. Tourism is another driving force that shapes neighborhood-level well-being and safety outcomes. The proliferation of the tourism industry leads to spatial dynamics of the venues by capital investments in entertainment, development, and revitalization. In combination with gentrification, tourism gentrification contributes to elevated numbers of criminal activities in neighborhoods. We seek to investigate how neighborhood changes proliferated by tourism gentrification shaped the pattern of drug-related crimes in New Orleans, Louisiana, between 2013 and 2022. In its effort to recover from Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans has been considerably rebuilt and revitalized by tourism. And yet, in doing so, the city has been gentrified, characterized by a rise in housing costs and sociodemographic turnovers. To do so, we use data from the American Community Survey, the City of New Orleans’s occupational licenses, and the New Orleans Police Department. We anticipate that tourism led to an increase in drug violations in New Orleans neighborhoods and gentrification moderated the association. This study can contribute to our understanding of crime and gentrification and have broader societal implications for other tourism cities.

Authors

• Hyunsu Oh, Louisiana State University

• Windsor Adcox, Louisiana State University