Gentrification

What does gentrification mean?

The term "gentrification" was first coined by British Sociologist Ruth Glass to describe the transformation of working-class London neighborhoods into middle and upper-class neighborhoods.

Glass (Glass 1964: xviii-xix) explained gentrification through the processes of urban change that were beginning to affect inner London. “One by one, many of the working-class quarters of London have been invaded by the middle classes-upper and lower. Shabby, modest mews and cottages-two rooms up and two down-have been tak-en over, their leases have expired, and have become elegant expensive residences. Victorian houses were down-graded in an earlier or recent period-which were used as lodging houses or where otherwise in multiple been up-graded once again. Nowadays, many of these houses are being subdivided into costly flats or "houseless" (in terms of the new real estate snob jargon). The current social status and of such dwellings are frequently in inverse relation to their status, and in any case, enormously inflated by comparison with previous levels in their neighbor-hoods. Once this process of 'gentrification' starts in a distinct It goes on rapidly until all or most of the original worlding class occupiers are displaced and the social character of the district changed". (Lees, 2008, 17)

For the council of Europe "Gentrification commonly occurs in urban areas where prior disinvestment in the urban infrastructure creates opportunities for profitable redevelopment, where the needs and concerns of business and policy elites are met at the expense of urban residents affected by work instability, unemployment, and stigmatization. It also occurs in those societies where a loss of manufacturing employment and an increase in service employment has led to the expansion in the number of middle-class professionals with a disposition towards central city living and an associated rejection of suburbia."(Council of Europe, 2020)

Gentrification has positive and negative aspects. It creates more development, rapid economic investment, and support of projects related to consumption and citizens' wellbeing. However, the gentrification process becomes detrimental when it forces the original residents to leave the neighborhood, exponentially increasing property pric-es. Original residents are forced to move where the land prices are lower, usually in the city outskirts where the informal settlements proliferate.

J.P. Byrne in the essay called "Two Cheers for Gentrification" (2003,205-206) argues.

"The most negative effect of gentrification, the reduction in affordable housing, results primarily not from gentrifi-cation itself, but from the persistent failure of the government to produce or secure affordable housing more gener-ally. Moreover, cities that attract more affluent residents are more able to aggressively finance affordable housing. Thus, gentrification is entitled to "two cheers", if not three, given that it enhances the political and economic posi-tions of all, but exacerbates the harms imposed on the poor by the failures of national affordable housing policies".

As long as the city continues to grow exponentially and urban renewal processes do not include the very low-income population within their strategic plans, the misery belts will continue to grow in proportion to formal con-structions.

Possitive Negative

Stabilization of declining areas

Increased property values

Reduced vacancy rates.

Increased local fiscal revenues.

Reduction of suburban sprawl

Increased social mix:

Rehabilitation of property both with or without state sponsorship

Displacement through rent/ price increases

Secondary psychological costs of displacement

Community resentment and conflict

Loss of affordable housing

Unsustainable speculative property price increases.

Homelessness

Greater take of local spending through lobbying/articulacy

Commercial/industrial displacement.

Increased cost and changes to local services.

Commercial/industrial displacement

Displacement and housing demand pressures on surrounding poor areas

Loss of social diversity (from socially disparate to rich ghettos)

Under occupancy and population loss to gentrified areas.