Gentrification is the process whereby the character of a neighborhood changes through the influx of more affluent residents the " gentry " and investment. Gentrification is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and planning. Gentrification often increases the economic value of a neighborhood, but can be controversial due to changing demographic composition and potential displacement of incumbent residents.
The gentrification process is typically the result of increasing attraction to an area by people with higher incomes spilling over from neighboring cities, towns, or neighborhoods. Further steps are increased investments in a community and the related infrastructure by real estate development businesses, local government, or community activists and resulting economic development , increased attraction of business, and lower crime rates.
Historians say that gentrification took place in ancient Rome and in Roman Britain , where large villas were replacing small shops by the 3rd century, AD. In England, landed gentry denoted the social class, consisting of gentlemen and gentlewomen, as they were at that time known. A more direct derivational base of gentrification is the 19th-century neologism 'gentrify,' a verb coined by Samuel Laing β that introduced undertones of conspicuous consumption and pretentiousness.
British sociologist Ruth Glass was first to use "gentrification" in its current sense. One by one, many of the working class neighbourhoods of London have been invaded by the middle-classesβupper and lower. Shabby, modest mews and cottagesβtwo rooms up and two downβhave been taken over, when their leases have expired, and have become elegant, expensive residences Once this process of 'gentrification' starts in a district it goes on rapidly, until all or most of the original working-class occupiers are displaced and the whole social character of the district is changed.
In the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report Health Effects of Gentrification defines the real estate concept of gentrification as "the transformation of neighborhoods from low value to high value. Scholars and pundits have applied a variety of definitions to gentrification since , some oriented around gentrifiers, others oriented around the displaced, and some a combination of both.
