Impacts of gentrification

Figure 6. Land value mapping of the urban core (mapped by the authors) (data via Decision No. 51 by the People’s Committee). At the confluence of the areas with the highest land prices in the urban centre and the areas with the average high land prices, the study area can be plainly seen. Creating this location into a transit hub is both a potential and significant challenge. Impacts of gentrification Gentrification is a natural byproduct of the quick, continuous, and multifaceted urbanization process. Gentrification can be defined as the process by which certain geographic areas become more exclusive (Choi, 2016). The elderly, families, and children are most affected, as are ethnic minorities and those who live in poverty. The many detrimental effects of gentrification include the displacement of long-term inhabitants, increasing economic precarity, weakened social relationships between neighbors, marginalization of their wishes for their community, and deteriorated mental and physical health. In some instances, locals and civic organizations can thwart gentrification by supporting projects that boost local economies and assist long-term residents. All social workers must have a fundamental awareness of what gentrification is, what drives this type of neighborhood transformation, and what the many implications are on social needs, inequality, and people’s well-being.

The phrase “gentrification” was first used by Ruth Glass in 1964 to describe how low-income London dwellings were converted into upscale homes for “the gentry,” a historical term for European landowners (Glass, 1964). Since then, gentrification research has become increasingly popular across a range of disciplines, including geography, urban studies, economics, sociology, and, as of the 21st century, public health and social work. Although definitions of gentrification have changed as well (Bhavsar et al., 2020), the majority of academics concur that gentrification is a process characterized by two key elements: an influx of capital into a neighborhood, which is frequently manifest in the development of homes and businesses targeted at high-income demographics; and the simultaneous increase in high-income demographics and eviction of low- and middleincome residents (Davidson and Lees, 2005). The neighborhood level of urban surroundings is where gentrification is most usually researched (Travis, 2007). The magnitude of the neighborhood is frequently where gentrification takes place. In other words, certain communities experience rapid periods of social and economic change, while others maintain a relatively consistent level of stability (Maciag, 2015). Even while some resident migration is unavoidable, neighborhood demographics, such as the proportion of people who belong to different racial or socioeconomic groups, remain largely stable over time (Wei and Knox, 2014). Gentrification represents a challenge to the established order in this situation.

Recent studies that examine the geography of gentrification and residential mobility commonly presuppose that gentrification results in or is connected to the physical eviction of original residents, especially low-income, vulnerable residents. Some gentrification studies, particularly those based on qualitative data, provide evidence that gentrification has adverse effects on longterm residents of changing neighborhoods (such as forced relocation and/or increases in housing costs), as well as on the character of the neighborhood and the city (Brown-Saracino, 2017). Other studies (Ding et al., 2016; Ellen and O’Regan, 2011) indicate that the gentrification-related eviction of low-income people is far less extreme and definitive. We propose that these contradictory findings may be reconciled by taking into account the metropolitan heterogeneity in the link between gentrification and displacement. Just as the process of gentrification and neighborhood change takes diverse forms in various types of communities (Hwang and Sampson, 2014; Owens, 2012; RucksAhidiana, 2021), so too can its consequences fluctuate depending on the wider demographic and socioeconomic backdrop. Recent studies on the effects of gentrification focus on whether gentrification drives people out of gentrifying districts, with a focus on individuals with limited financial resources because it is assumed that they will have the most difficulty finding new housing (Brown-Saracino, 2017). Why might displacement result from gentrification? Gentrification is the socioeconomic and frequently physical upgrading of neighborhoods, which calls for the influx of new residents who typically have higher levels of wealth and education, sometimes higher incomes, and may come from different racial or ethnic backgrounds than long-term neighborhood occupants (Zuk et al., 2018). Demand from outsiders may increase land value and housing prices if a neighborhood is densely populated, the residential vacancy rate is low, and there is no room to build new residential units. This may result in higher property taxes and insurance costs for homeowners as well as rent increases or evictions of tenants who cannot afford to pay market rates, which could have a negative economic and social impact (Landis, 2016). The District 1 area, which is an urban core with a mixed population, is where the paucity of housing land and housing units is most obvious. The project improvement area is the only place in the Ben Thanh neighborhood where gentrification is most prevalent. However, it is exceedingly difficult to manage how widely the population displacement has spread throughout the neighborhood. The metropolitan core’s service radius is also the focus of the new demography with a higher standard of living. Although the effects of this issue are not immediately severe, they will have a significant negative impact over time, especially following the construction of new roads and metro lines. This necessitates the development of long-term planning solutions that are adaptable to the changing socioeconomic environment.