I read the article. It reeks of someone who lives in a gated community. Poor people are going to live in cheap housing, period. If they settle in a run down place and start fixing it up, the value rises. This is basic economics or maybe I am missing the point of the article?
Gentrification isn't when poor people fix up the community, it's when wealthy investors begin to pour money into a low income neighborhood effectively raising property values, but ultimately displacing the poor people. For example where I live a major train station is in the final stages of planning, so there has been a ton of development. A ton of people I grew up with had to move because things were just too expensive. To add to that most small business have been closed down by the numerous large chains moving into town.