Reviving the Historic West End: Renaissance Vs. Gentrification

by: Keyona Smith | June 10, 2025

Recently, our Executive Director Tiffany Fant led an Environmental Justice (EJ) tour through Charlotte, comparing two drastically different parts of the city—Ballantyne and the Historic West End. While Ballantyne reflects rapid development and economic investment, the Historic West End stands as one of the few remaining areas untouched by widespread gentrification. But this preservation has come with its own struggles—disinvestment, environmental neglect, and a lack of meaningful resources for the people who call the West End home.

What Tiffany revealed on the tour, and what this moment makes clear, is that the West End doesn’t need to be “saved” by outside forces—it needs to be respected, resourced, and restored by and for the community that’s already there.

Gentrification too often displaces people, disrupts culture, and erases the very history that makes a neighborhood unique. A community renaissance, on the other hand, is rooted in justice. It’s about empowering longtime residents, preserving legacy, and building sustainable change without pushing people out. The West End deserves to thrive—through environmental equity, economic opportunity, and cultural celebration—not by being remade in someone else’s image.

Watch the video below to hear directly from Tiffany about why environmental justice and community-driven revival are essential to the future of the Historic West End.

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