ProJo: Editorial: Growing economy brings new challenge

With more young adults and people with college degrees looking to live in Providence, rents in the city have been rising. What might seem surprising, however, is that the most dramatic increases have not come in well-to-do areas, but mostly in a swath of lower-income neighborhoods.

As a result, some of the people who live in those areas are being displaced, and a new study warns that as the demand for apartments grows, so could the number of displacements.

Here we have a classic example of a positive trend that also comes with a problem. Simply put, we want a strong economy, one that draws middle-income earners to our cities and towns. So it's good to see new investment and greater interest in lower-income neighborhoods.

The challenge is to make sure that as the economic momentum is maintained, the city and state also take steps to help the people who can't afford those rising rents.

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