The ‘hidden’ sides of transit-induced gentrification and displacement along Waterloo Region’s LRT corridor

Abstract

Displacement is generally studied using either using statistical analysis, or lived experiences. Both require different definitions, methods and conceptualisations. As cities across North America invest in higher-order transit such as light rail (LRT), there is a need for a holistic assessment of displacement. However, to date, most studies of transit-induced gentrification rely on statistics. This is problematic because this approach underestimates the scale of direct displacement and is unable to capture indirect or experiential forms. This article uses a variety of qualitative methods to present a detailed examination of displacement along one of North America’s newest LRT lines in Canada’s Waterloo Region. While official statistics indicate little evidence of displacement, field observations and direct engagement with key stakeholders and marginalised residents, renders visible four different types of displacement that are neither evident in official statistics nor central to planning and policy debates. Importantly, these forms of displacement include both spatial and non-spatial forms, which critical scholarship is increasingly conceptualising as part of the displacement and dispossession associated with contemporary gentrification. These findings suggest a need to broaden how transit-induced displacement is defined, measured and analysed, centring lived experiences of displacement within planning and policymaking.