Greetings future colleagues of the built environment. This inaugural post will peel back the layers of this phenomenon, which can (and unfortunately continues to) often be overly simplified, exploring its true origins and multifaceted nature.
Poking the Negative Connotations
Gentrification, a now global experience, is frequently reduced to a straightforward narrative: property developers creeping upon low to middle-income inner-city areas, strategically purchasing green and brownfield sites, and transforming them into mixed-use spaces for the middle and upper-income brackets to generate as much profit as possible. Perhaps the popular 2009 film "UP" comes to mind, where a lovable character finds himself surrounded by skyscrapers in his once-charming neighborhood. These oversimplified notions are embedded in negative connotations, painting gentrification (justifiably so it must be said) as a menace to low-income communities in urban centres around the world.
Perfect Conditions for Birth
However, as professionals in one of the planet’s oldest professions, let us not be content with scratching the surface. Gentrification's roots run deep, intertwined with the growth of cities into bustling urban centers. To truly comprehend the persistence of gentrification opportunities and its global prevalence, one must delve into the historical setting of its emergence. Consider the influence of capitalism, specifically the introduction of the neoliberal economic philosophy, and its role in shaping the urban landscape.
A key element in this narrative is the rapid pace of urbanization, which has led to a global housing crisis. The surge in urban populations, coupled with the emergence of a global neoliberal economy, has simply (and with hindsight, unsurprisingly) given birth.
They have given birth to environments ripe for gentrification, it just so happens that their first-born child is a socioeconomically unfavorable one. Urbanization necessitates the development of housing and infrastructure, often triggering a cascade of changes in urban areas, which in turn, fuels gentrification's relentless spread as profit hungry development companies use this marriage to their advantage.
As we embark on this exploration, our tone remains both academic and impassioned. This blog invites you, enthusiasts of the built environment, to join in peeling back the layers of gentrification. Together, we'll unearth the nuanced factors that have birthed and continue to propel this phenomenon, seeking a deeper understanding and perhaps, innovative solutions to address its challenges. Insights from the book "Gentrification of the City" by Neil Smith:
Neil Smith, in his chapter, "Gentrification, the Frontier, and the Restructuring of Urban Space," delves into the restructuring of urban space and the direction of urban restructuring. Consider how the restructuring of urban spaces and the push for growth align with the historical roots of gentrification discussed in this post.
Additionally, Peter Williams' exploration of gentrification as a process of class constitution in "Class Constitution through Spatial Reconstruction?" can offer valuable insights into the unintended socio-economic consequences of the marriage between urbanization and neoliberalism.
Reference List:
Atkinson, R., 2000. The hidden costs of gentrification: Displacement in central London. Journal of housing and the built environment, 15, pp.307-326.
Collord, M, Goodfellow, T and Asante, LA (2021) Section 2.3. The political economy of urban
expansion, land, property and housing. In Uneven development, politics and governance in urban
Fox, S., & Goodfellow, T. (2016). Land, housing and urban services Chapter 5 in Fox, S., &
Goodfellow, T. Cities and development. Routledge.
Jenkins, P., Smith, H. and Wang, Y.P., 2006. Planning and housing in the rapidly urbanising world. Routledge.
Myers, G., 2021. Urbanisation in the global south. Urban ecology in the global south, pp.27-49.
Le Galès, P., 2016. Neoliberalism and urban change: Stretching a good idea too far?. Territory, Politics, Governance, 4(2), pp.154-172.
Lees, L., 2012. The geography of gentrification: Thinking through comparative urbanism. Progress in human geography, 36(2), pp.155-171.
Smith, N. and Williams, P. eds., 2013. Gentrification of the City. Routledge.
Tok, E. and Oğuz, M., 2013. Manifestations of neoliberal urbanisation: The case of Sulukule/Istanbul. Planlama, 23(2), pp.57-66.
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