Abstract
Most studies of transit-induced gentrification rely on statistical analysis that measures the extent to which gentrification is occurring. To extend and enhance our knowledge of its impact, we conducted sixty-five interviews with residents living along the light rail transit (LRT) corridor in Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada, shortly before the system opened. There was already strong evidence of gentrification, with more than $3 billion (Canadian dollars) worth of investment, largely in condominiums, before a single passenger was carried. In line with contemporary critical conceptualizations of gentrification, our interviews identified new and complex psychological, phenomenological, and experiential aspects of gentrification, in addition to economic- or class-based changes.
Highlights
Across North America, there has been a boom in light rail transit (LRT) and streetcar construction since the 1980s (Spieler 2019)
Recent discussions have focused on transit-induced gentrification, that is, the role transit improvements play in driving the gentrification of urban space
As a growing number of studies demonstrate, research that engages meaningfully with lived experiences works to extend the conceptualization of gentrification by moving beyond economic metrics, and the ability or inability of residents to remain in urban space
Summary
Across North America, there has been a boom in light rail transit (LRT) and streetcar construction since the 1980s (Spieler 2019). Critical scholars have placed increasing emphasis on understanding lived experiences of gentrification and displacement (Atkinson 2015; Davidson 2009; Shaw and Hagemans 2015) This literature takes Marcuse’s (1985) framework of direct and indirect forms of (economic) displacement as its starting point, more recent work has moved toward incorporating psychological or experiential dynamics of these processes (Atkinson 2015; ElliottCooper, Hubbard, and Lees 2020; Shaw and Hagemans 2015). It necessitates an epistemological framework that conceptualizes gentrification and displacement not as one-time events, but as much larger and longer processes
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