Amazon could detonate a gentrification ‘prosperity bomb’ in the city it chooses for its second headquarters

pulse

October 19, 2017 10:33 PM

Over 200 cities, states, and regions want Amazon's HQ2. Some residents worry they could see rising gentrification and traffic like Seattle.

More than 200 cities, states, and regions submitted proposals to host a new $5 billion Amazon campus, dubbed HQ2.
Amazon claims its second headquarters would create 50,000 jobs in the to-be-determined city.
But some residents worry that the new headquarters would increase traffic, spur gentrification, and lead to prolonged construction similar to "Amazonia" in Seattle, the location of Amazon's original headquarters.
A new report looked at HQ2's potential impact on 15 cities, and found that it could increase rent prices by up to 2% annually.

More than 200 cities, states, and regions across North America are vying to become the home of Amazon's second headquarters. The company said in late last year that it plans to

in a . Since the late 1990s, the company has grown from a small set-up in Bezos' garage into a global e-commerce giant. Cities in the running include New York City, Philadelphia, Denver, San Jose, and Toronto.

Many city leaders are optimistic about the thousands of jobs Amazon claims HQ2 would create. But some residents worry that it would also spur the same problems that Seattle has seen since Amazon arrived: increased traffic

From 2005 to 2015, Seattle's median rent went from $1,008 to $1,286, an increase nearly three times the national median. Recent data shows

In The Seattle Times, columnist Danny Westneat warned Amazon's next, "Other North American City" about all these issues.

"If there’s one thing we know in Seattle, it’s boom and bust. We’ve gone from billboards urgingthe last one leaving to turn out the lightsto now, ourfirst million-dollar neighborhood. Both the rush, and the relapse, of the fast buck are in our civic DNA," he wrote. "So heads up, Other North American City: Amazon is about to detonate a prosperity bomb in your town."

Amazon has recently tried to temper this image. In May last year, it announced efforts to house 200 local homeless people in one of its new Seattle buildings. Two months earlier, Bezos gave donated

It's not yet clear where Amazon will make its new home. The company plans

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