Concept Of Gentrification Research Articles

Can gentrification theory learn from Airbnb? Airbnbfication and the asset economy in Reykjavík

Urban studies have predominantly analysed the impact of short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb on cities through the lens of gentrification. However, the concept of gentrification has been applied to this platform-based urban change without considering how platform economy might alter the way scholars think about gentrification. First, this paper shows that short-term rental platforms build on the increasing use of housing by ordinary people to generate income. Second, it explores what this entails for gentrification studies. Contrary to the classical pattern of gentrification, suppliers of short-term rental platforms are not necessarily external investors but may be local homeowners in an area that is appealing to tourists. This puts local homeowners in an ambiguous position regarding gentrification patterns. On the one hand, as stakeholders providing the accommodation supply, they can theoretically benefit from short-term rental platforms by generating income from their housing. On the other hand, as long-term inhabitants, their housing trajectory can also be disrupted by the consequences of Airbnb-driven gentrification that they enable. This paper aims to disentangle the role of local homeowners in Airbnb-driven gentrification by answering the three following questions. (1) Who are the Airbnb hosts? Are they external newcomers or local homeowners? (2) Which host strategies lead to the displacement of long-term inhabitants? (3) What lines of inquiry does the ambiguous position of local hosts (as both driver and victim of Airbnbfication) open for gentrification studies?

A Feudal Way to Gentrify? The Modern Concept of Gentrification Versus Changes in the Social Topography of a Medieval and Early Modern Town

Gentrification is a current and often debated concept that concerns social changes in our cities. The concept relates to a development whereby areas earlier inhabited by less wealthy social groups are taken over by middle and upper middle-class residents. In the discussions of these changes, two perspectives have dominated. Representatives for the consumer perspective argue that gentrification occurs as a result of consumption preferences in the middle class. Representatives of the producer perspective argue that inner city areas are gentrified as a result of the movement of capital. In the article it is discussed whether it is possible to use the concept of gentrification, and ifthe conflicting perspectives can be tested, in a non-capitalistic setting. The case-study focuses on the changes in the social topography of the town of Malmö, at the time the second largest town in Denmark. The main issues investigated are whether these changes were produced within the feudal structures, how consumer preferences and agency interacted, and the relations between agency and structural constraints.

Gentrification and neighborhood melancholy. Collective sadness and ambivalence in Dortmund’s Hörde district

Since 2000, the City of Dortmund has pursued an ambitious flagship project in the district of Hoerde. On the enormous site of a former steel plant, and in the middle of an impoverished working class district, a large new upper-middle class residential area (Phoenix) has been developed around an artificial lake. Qualitative fieldwork suggests that the project has generated mixed feelings among longtime working class dwellers in the old part of Hoerde. Widespread enthusiasm about new lakeside living is interwoven with emotions of sadness and loss, reflecting a neighborhood transformation which unmistakably demonstrates their social, cultural, and political marginalization – feelings that were not allowed to become part of the jubilant official discourse which has marketed the Phoenix project as a shining example of the City’s successful post-industrial structural change. Ever since its announcement, the project has been blamed for triggering gentrification processes – despite the fact that there are still no empirical signs of rising rents or displacement. I argue that the concept of gentrification has been taken up so readily because it is popular, polyvalent, polemical, and critical, enabling citizens to find a language to denounce the blatant social inequalities and power imbalances that competitive urbanism has fostered in Dortmund. However, I also claim that the core of the prevailing sadness – the loss of the familiar neighborhood which could not be grieved over – remains under the radar of standard gentrification discourse. The article thus proposes neighborhood melancholy as a concept to account for the unclear, subconscious, and deeply ambivalent ways in which long-established residents experience their neighborhood’s transformation, expressed within the rubric of gentrification.

The Effects of Gentrification on the Elderly: A Case Study in the City of Cáceres

This study aims to analyze the consequences of the gentrification process as a result of tourism on the elderly inhabitants. Firstly, the concept of gentrification is reviewed, a process that is no longer exclusive to large cities but has spread to smaller and lesser-known municipalities. A clear example of this type of new tourist destination is the city of Cáceres, a World Heritage medium-sized city where tourism is the basis of its economy. The research considers gentrification in medium-sized cities and its effect on active aging. Based on a qualitative methodological approach, a total of 32 in-depth interviews were conducted and analyzed to compare two neighborhoods—one gentrified and one not. The results show a remarkable disparity in the residents’ perceptions of their environment and their city. The findings suggest adverse effects on the quality of aging due to the gentrification process, such as family dependency, social-space disconnection, and a generally pessimistic image of the neighborhood. Consequently, the impact of tourism negatively affects the gentrified neighborhood inhabitants’ psychological, social, and emotional well-being.

Film review of ‘PUSH’: A documentary by Fredrik Gertten

Push is a film of great ambition and great skill. Director Fredrik Gertten takes on the global housing crisis, and aims to uncover and expose the systemic forces that increasingly make contemporary cities unaffordable to working and middle class residents. The concept of gentrification no longer seems useful in this quest, and Gertten is looking for a new language to speak of the phenomenon. It is notoriously difficult to make cinematic, gripping films about the inner workings of the economy, and Gertten skilfully uses every trick in the filmmakers’ hat to produce an engaging and relatable work that carries the audience along and makes a complex but digestible argument.

Environmental Justice, Gentrification, and Leisure: A Systematic Review and Opportunities for the Future

ABSTRACT The concept of gentrification, which has recently been expanded beyond residential displacement to address issues of equitable access to public spaces, is deemed an environmental justice issue. Environmental gentrification presents a new threat to economically vulnerable areas looking to add parks, recreation, or green space to their neighborhoods because gentrification may attract newcomers who displace existing residents from public spaces as well as from housing. Consequently, park, recreation, and leisure scholars should study this phenomenon. A systematic review was conducted to assess current knowledge regarding relationships among gentrification and park, recreation, and leisure spaces. A search of three databases uncovered 27 articles. Little leisure scholarship was found, representing an opportunity for leisure scholars to promote environmental justice. Six themes derived from the articles described how policy can negatively impact residents, how strategies can prevent gentrification, and how research methods to study gentrification can impact how results are interpreted.

Gentrification between urban and rural

This commentary focuses on gentrification in urban and rural contexts, focusing on five points: the tradition and the use of comparative approaches in gentrification studies, epistemological issues around the concept of gentrification, the opportunities for productively engaging findings from ‘rural gentrification’ studies for a better understanding of urban phenomena and the blurring of differences between ‘urban’ and ‘rural’ in an age of planetary urbanization.

KÜRESELLEŞME SÜRECİNDE SOYLULAŞTIRMANIN MEKANA YANSIMASI: İSTANBUL SULUKULE ÖRNEĞİ

Gentrification, which has become a strategy of urban transformation with globalization, is an important aspect of neoliberal policies. The continuing social inequalities in the process of capitalist city have continued in the process of globalization which is formed by the transformation of capitalism and the distinctions in urban space have become evident with the effect of gentrification. Within the context of this study, the effects of the transformation of capitalism after 1980 and the spatial distinction that became evident in the framework of neoliberal politics as a result of gentrification have been examined in Istanbul / Sulukule. Considering the new demands that emerged in Istanbul, which became an increasingly global city, gentrification has made the classroom and spatial separation in Sulukule evident, which has affected the socio-cultural life in Sulukule. In the direction of research, the rooting, formation and development processes of the concept of gentrification were examined; The gentrification process that emerged in Turkey and Istanbul was examined in general terms and the spatial reflections of the new production economy that emerged as a result of capitalist transformation processes were investigated in detail in the example of Istanbul Sulukule. In terms of social life as a research method, observation, data analysis and interview were used. The results of the researches can be summarized as follows; It has been determined that the gentrification project that took place in Sulukule region brought social problems like social inequality, displacement, spatial and class divide. The spatial decomposition and the effects of class structure on the transformations resulting from the globalization in the direction of the obtained data are examined and it is thought that it will be useful to extend the studies to be done in the direction of these findings.

Beneath the Appearance of Gentrification: Probing Local Complexities

AbstractIn ‘Gentrification in Hong Kong? Epistemology vs. Ontology’, Ley and Teo examine what they find to be the absence of identification and naming of gentrification in Hong Kong. They argue for the need to look at urban redevelopment in non‐Anglo‐American cities, those in Asia Pacific at the very least, in a different light. They query the extent to which the concept of gentrification has been overly stretched to explain urban processes falling outside Anglo‐American cities. This essay is a response to their argument. It presses for further and closer examination of local complexities and greater critical‐theoretical reflection on the transferability of analytical concepts to different socio‐economic contexts. Ley and Teo have raised some important questions for serious theoretical reflection and discussion. Yet they seem to have fallen into the problematic positions that they critique. Without sufficient attention to the part played by historical and local context in shaping the urban landscape, they have wrongly associated the absence of any identification of gentrification with the hegemony of a property‐related ideology of social mobility. The unpacking of the different social and political processes and mechanisms in urban redevelopment in different stages of urban growth in Hong Kong alerts us to the complexities of the local.

Acerca de una gentrificación "planetaria", políticamente útil

There is a global trend towards the “rediscovery” of urban centers for capital reproduction purposes. Such an exercise involves high levels of private investment for the development of new spaces, services and dwellings aimed at middle and higher-income segments, thus suggesting a close relationship with the financial phase of urban capitalism. In this context, gentrification theory is currently regarded either as an explanation that allows the development of the field of comparative research, based on generic definitions about the process, or through adopting a post-colonial ‘provincial’ approach that rejects the very concept of gentrification as a structural narrative that comes from the Global North inapplicable to the Global South. This paper suggests the need to develop an episteme intended to separate factual aspects and explore some key spatial, political, economic and social elements associated with the gentrification phenomenon. Such an exercise is based on the analysis of two cities, Santiago and Mexico City, as well as from an updated theoretical review, referring to other world cities. It is concluded that gentrification processes at planetary level seem to converge and share the same characteristics within a context marked by the greater mobility and aggressiveness of political-financial power.

A back to the city movement by local government action: gentrification in Spain and Latin America

Studies on gentrification in Spain and Latin America have been proliferating rapidly in recent years. It has provoked debates on the applicability of the concept and the particular characteristics that the process takes. In this context, the study looks at the transformation of city centres in Spain and Latin America through various case studies in which the use of the concept of gentrification is advocated, while drawing attention to the notable differences in the urban, social and economic spheres between these cases and the ones studied in English-speaking countries. Specifically, a key feature is claimed to be the primacy of state intervention as a catalyst of the process, so that gentrification in this region can be understood as a return to the city of local government action.

Beyond gentrification: Diversified neighbourhood upgrading in the inner city of Budapest

The concept of gentrification has been extensively used in post-socialist context in association with neighbourhood renewal processes, despite the exact meaning of the term and its social effects not always being sufficiently clarified. This paper builds upon empirical research from downtown Budapest. Our investigation primarily focused on the interplay of three groups of stakeholders involved in urban renewal: politicians, investors and residents. On the basis of our multi-dimensional analysis, we could identify three main types of upgrading: classical gentrification (with two sub-types), as well as incumbent upgrading and soft forms of revitalisation. In the studied neighbourhoods, a mixture of these forms of upgrading could be identified, reflecting a diversified rejuvenation. Gentrification was spatially limited to poverty ridden neighbourhoods subject to local government organised regeneration programmes. The predominance of soft forms of revitalisation is a function of housing market mechanisms as well as the planning control of local districts, which in general together create a healthy social mix despite pervasive regeneration activities.

Stakeholder Representations of Gentrification in Amsterdam and Berlin: A Marginal Process?

In recent years, several studies have highlighted how gentrification strategies are imposed under the discursive umbrella of ‘social mixing’. However, most evidence is based on Anglo-Saxon experiences. This paper sets out to expand the geography of gentrification by looking at the representation of processes and policies of gentrification as put forward by key stakeholders in Nord-Neukölln (Berlin) and Indische Buurt (Amsterdam). It shows that in both contexts, stakeholders and policy documents engage with the concept of gentrification, rather than avoid it. Due to public-policy influence and local criticisms, this engagement differs between both cases. In Nord-Neukölln, the term is heavily contested and policy-makers attempt to refute accusations of gentrification, while in the Indische Buurt, the process is explicitly pursued as a positive policy instrument by policy-makers. Different representations within each case are shown to be influenced by the characteristics of in-moving and out-moving residents; the employed timeframe and the perceived influence of institutions on urban regeneration.

The Creative Economy and Society: The Romanian Case

Despite the quasi-general economic crisis, there has been a constant development of the creative and innovative industries. They were some of the very few engines running in order to re‐create the previously favourable economic conditions. The advent of a new sub–society – the creative society – occurred. The new creative society brings about new forms of creative expression along with urban revitalisation, creativity‐driven gentrification and dislocation. However, there has been recent concern that such activities may eventually lead to certain adverse effects, which questions the extent to which potential growth and development can be explained by the creative society. The paper advocates for the development of the creative sector as a prerequisite for urban regeneration; it then discusses the concepts of gentrification and dislocation related to creative and cultural activity. It aims to explain the main demographic changes due to the advent of the creative society and to identify and discuss the main menaces faced by creative societies stemming from the very nature of activity. The paper treats the Romanian case of urban vitality in particular. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ss.84.2.7491

Flight of the “Artademics”: Scholarly Gentrification and Conceptual+Art Discourses

As the debate continues about arts-based research as a mode of academic practice, a number of key issues permeate scholarship concerning quality, rigor, and responsibility, resulting in an opportunity to rethink and redefine how we are potentially moving toward greater social, political, and intellectual consciousness through the arts and arts-based research (Slattery, 2003). My deliberation is meant to provoke a conversation about the fluid parameters of this still-emerging discourse, and how the intricate metamorphosis of conceptual+art may warrant deeper consideration and debate among researchers. To open this dialogue, I borrow the concept of gentrification from social geography as a means to examine more critically how academics are framing scholarship through the arts and why the actions of arts researchers may change broader notions of art as research. Much has been written concerning the close ties of artists and higher education in relation to gentrification (for example, Bridge, 2001; Peck, 2005). Suggesting academics may be among “different sorts of gentrifiers,” a group I refer to as artademics, presents an alternate way of thinking about the nature of the arts by interpreting patterns of movement within scholarship (Redfern, 2003). This raises a series of key questions: Do artademics gentrify the discourse of arts-based research? Are artists denied spaces to circulate their works and ideas because artademics are filling those spaces? And, if as Lees (1999) suggests, “academics have become conformist [and] complacent,” is there a potential for artademics to inadvertently instill a culture of sameness in spaces previously noted for uncertainty (pp. 377–378)? Given the rhetoric of self-evolution and social justice in art education, Anita Sinner Concordia University

도시 공간 구조에서 젠트리피케이션의 비판적 재고찰과 향후 연구 방향 모색

도시 공간의 역동성에서 젠트리피케이션은 교외화와 더불어 매우 중요한 연구 주제이다. 본 연구는 젠트리피케이션에 대한 논의의 비판적 재고찰을 통하여 향후 연구에 대한 방향을 모색하는데 그 목적이 있다. 이를 위해 젠트리피케이션의 개념, Smith와 Ley를 중심으로 한 공급 측면과 수요 측면의 논의, 그리고 이들 간의 논쟁을 고찰하였다. 또한 최근 연구의 초점이 되고 있는 세계화와 다양한 국가의 젠트리피케이션, 이주와 소셜 믹스(Social Mix), 젠트리피케이션의 다양한 공간성, 신규 개발 젠트리피케이션 등의 주제를 검토하고, 이를 토대로 도시 공간의 역동성 이해, 다양한 젠트리피케이션 요인의 복합적 고려, 다양한 공간 스케일의 고려, 국내 도시 현상에의 적용 측면에서 향후 연구 방향을 제시하였다.

Emergent spaces of reurbanisation: exploring the demographic dimension of inner‐city residential change in a European setting

AbstractEuropean inner city areas are increasingly regaining their residential attractiveness after years of decline. Although the demographic dimensions of such residential shifts are gradually being acknowledged by urban scholars, they still remain under‐researched, especially with regard to the role of household‐driven processes in the stabilisation of inner‐city neighbourhoods and the reshaping of residential perceptions, wants and needs.Given this background, our paper looks at the underlying dynamics of reurbanisation processes in different European cities. Reurbanisation is understood as a process of populating and diversifying the inner city with a variety of residential groups of different ages and socio‐economic backgrounds. We discuss why and how reurbanisation is changing inner‐city districts, while arguing that the demographic or household‐related view can lead to an improved understanding of current urban change. We demonstrate that – in contrast to a prevailing tendency to understand reurbanisation as an expression of a ‘back‐to‐the‐city’ movement – it relates more to city‐mindedness as a housing preference rather than to the actual return of suburbanites to the city. A typology of reurbanisation processes (distinguishing between different driving forces, and respective impacts on inner‐city area and housing markets) is provided, and the role of both social and demographic factors discussed. In particular, the paper examines overlaps and differences between reurbanisation and the concept of gentrification, arguing that, although they are partly driven by similar dynamics, the two processes are, in a qualitative sense, distinctive. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

O bairro da Luz em São Paulo: questões antropológicas sobre o fenômeno da gentrification

This paper will explore, from an anthropological perspective, the extent to which the concept of gentrification can be applied to current urban interventions in the district of Luz, situated in the inner city of Sao Paulo (population 11 million), and caught between the conflicting interests of the preservation of historical patrimony, the promotion of cultural consumption and the historical use of the area’s public spaces by the working class. This question will be approached with emphasis on the following issues: local government policy on urban improvement and the stigmatization of areas occupied predominantly by the working class; the rethinking of tradition al dichotomies, such as the (analytically divisive) polarity “politics of urban intervention” vs. “resistance of affected groups”; the multiple meanings attributed to the notion of bairro (‘district’ or ‘neighborhood’) and the definition of terms of comparison with other cases (avoiding a priori perspectives).