gentrification it is a process of transformation and overvaluation of a certain area of the city, promoting an increase in the cost of living. This imposed dynamic attracts a new profile of residents — a population with greater purchasing power — while expelling its former residents, who leave in search of more economically accessible neighborhoods. Given this, gentrification deepens socio-spatial segregation and highlights the lack of more effective urban planning in cities.
Know more: Urban mobility — the conditions that enable the movement of people, goods and cargo in cities
Topics of this article
- 1 - Summary on gentrification
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2 - What is gentrification?
- → Video lesson: What is gentrification?
- 3 - Origin of gentrification
- 4 - Causes of gentrification
- 5 - How does the gentrification process occur?
- 6 - Consequences of gentrification
- 7 - Differences between gentrification and revitalization
- 8 - Gentrification in Brazil
- 9 - Gentrification in the world
- 10 - Criticism of gentrification
- 11 - Gentrification and the environment
- 12 - Possible solutions for gentrification
- 13 - Solved exercises on gentrification
Brief on Gentrification
Gentrification is an urban socio-spatial phenomenon characterized by the increase in the cost of living in certain areas of the city and the departure of former residents from that location.
The term gentrification was coined by British sociologist Ruth Glass in the 1960s.
Gentrification is caused by market interests, revitalization with the purpose of re-functionalizing a neighborhood or region of the city and increasing the tourist potential of the area.
With the rise in the cost of living and also in the price of real estate and rents, former residents tend to leave the area, which starts to attract a population with greater purchasing power.
Gentrification deepens the socio-spatial segregation of urban centers.
This phenomenon is not restricted to the central regions of the city. In Brazil we have examples of gentrification in the periphery, as happened in Vidigal, in Rio de Janeiro (RJ).
The impacts of gentrification extend to the environment, with greater circulation of private vehicles and greater soil sealing due to the increase in built-up areas, for example.
Solving the gentrification problem demands action from the public authorities in urban planning and in guaranteeing fair and democratic spaces in cities.
What is gentrification?
gentrification is a process of transformation of urban landscapes in certain neighborhoods of the city that guarantees new functions to buildings and urban spaces (refunctionalization), which attracts a new profile of residents and causes changes in the cost of living in these areas, making it more high. As a result, former residents, notably those with lower purchasing power, end up leaving these neighborhoods in search of places with a more affordable cost of living.
→ Video lesson: What is gentrification?
Origin of gentrification
The origin of gentrification as a term used in studies on cities dates back to the 1960s. That term he was coined by the sociologist British Ruth Glass (1912-1990) by identifying and explaining the process of socio-spatial transformation in working-class neighborhoods in the city of London from the mid-twentieth century onwards. The word “gentrification” is derived from the English gentrification, which, loosely translated, means "ennoblement".
Causes of gentrification
Determining the causes of gentrification is not an easy task in studies on the subject, in view of the disagreement observed in the writings of several urbanists and geographers dedicated to understanding space urban.|1|
Among the main causes pointed out for gentrification is the recovery of areas that would be, in theory, abandoned,either by the government, or by former homeowners or traders who moved from a certain locality towards another, not giving a new function or proper maintenance to the buildings. This happens in neighborhoods that housed industries or economic activities that went into decline, being quite common in city centers.
However, these areas are not always abandoned. In addition to the remaining residents, residential buildings and houses become cheaper and more economically viable for another portion of the population, which moves to these areas. There are also cases of buildings occupied by lower-income families who are unable to afford rent or monthly fees and settle there.
A real estate speculationit is also a cause of gentrification and is carried out by private agents interested in increasing the value of land and buildings in the area. In addition to this cause, the interest of certain social groups and professional profiles in so-called historic neighborhoods that present cultural symbols forces ends up transforming these locations.
Also thinking about the cultural and historical value of certain areas of the city, gentrification takes place based on the tourist potential and The ability to attract new visitors to that location.
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How does the gentrification process occur?
The gentrification process takes place through the renovation and revitalization of old buildings degraded, in poor condition, and also by the construction of new buildings residential, commercial (such as malls, coffee shops, restaurants, boutiques, etc.) and also cultural activities (such as theaters and cinemas) in the targeted areas.
Along with these elements, the attracting a new audience interested in these services, as well as the changefrom the population with higher purchasing power for these localities, which changes as a result of the transformations carried out.
Consequences of gentrification
Gentrification brings about a change not only in the cultural landscape of certain neighborhoods in the cities, but above all in the population profile of that area. Taking into account what we have seen about the form and causes associated with the gentrification process, we list below some of the main consequences:
rising cost of living, resulting from rising rents and land prices in areas undergoing gentrification;
elitization (or ennoblement) of neighborhoods due to the installation of a population with greater purchasing power;
expulsion of former residents, especially the poorest, which happens mainly due to the rise in rents and services in general. Thus, there is an expansion of the segregation of urban space.
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Differences between gentrification and revitalization
Gentrification and revitalization are processes that take place in urban space and are similar in many ways, but have different causes and objectives:
Gentrification: promotes the transformation of spaces and their consequent elitization, expelling former residents who cannot afford the high costs of living resulting from this process. Gentrification is more common in the central areas of cities, although it is not restricted to them, and private agents are the main players in this process.
Revitalization: denotes new functions to abandoned or degraded areas and buildings, giving them a new “life”.|2| Revitalization does not, therefore, have the objective of attracting new public or modifying the dynamics of an area. As for public spaces and buildings, revitalization is the responsibility of the municipal, state or federal government. Thus, revitalization is aimed at a specific construction or area (squares, flowerbeds, buildings, avenues, etc.), usually meeting some demand|3|, and does not necessarily imply transformations in an entire neighborhood, as is the case with gentrification.
Gentrification in Brazil
Gentrification is a process that happened and happens in several Brazilian urban centers, especially in the metropolises and big cities. The causes for the gentrification that occurs in the cities of the Brazil are commonly associated with tourism, especially when it comes to the reconfiguration of urban spaces to host large-scale events, as was the case with the 2014 World Cup and das Rio 2016 Olympics, based in the capital of Rio de Janeiro in 2016, for example.
Another important aspect to be highlighted about gentrification in Brazil is the fact that it does not always occur in the center of cities, also focusing on peripheral areas.
Below we list the places that have experienced gentrification in some Brazilian cities:
port region of Rio de Janeiro (RJ), known as the Porto Maravilha project;
Vila Autódromo and Vidigal neighborhood, in city of Rio de Janeiro (RJ). The second is considered today one of the most expensive places to live in the country |4|;
neighborhoods such as Santa Cecília, Vila Madalena, Anhangabaú and Avenida Água Espraiada, in city of São Paulo (SP);
Estelita Pier and Recife District, on the city of Recife (FOOT).
Gentrification in the world
the gentrification has become increasingly commonm in emerging countries, with many examples taking place in Latin American cities in the Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Argentina and, of course, in Brazil. In this group of countries, the process takes place especially in historic centers, which are areas of great tourist value, attracting the attention of private agents.
As we have seen, however, gentrification is a global phenomenon that is present in several countries, as exemplified below:
barcelona, na Spain, where gentrification reached some of the most traditional neighborhoods in the city, which is today one of the main examples of the process with tourist purposes;
historic centers of Santiago (Chile) and Quito (Ecuador);
city of San Francisco, considered one of the cities most affected by gentrification in the United States. The hardest hit area is the Bay Bridge, which connects the city to its neighbor, Oakland;
Little Haiti neighborhood, in the city of Miami (U.S);
neighborhoods in the city of Shanghai (China), an important economic center of the country.
Criticism of gentrification
Gentrification causes the deepening of existing socio-spatial inequalities in cities and large urban centers and it is precisely for this reason that the process is the target of criticism.
The rising cost of living in traditional neighborhoods makes old residents have to leave their homes in search of new ones. areas to inhabit, while preventing the lower income population from settling or consuming the services of that area in question. Thus, gentrification is criticized for highlighting and expanding segregation in urban space.
Gentrification and the environment
The impacts of gentrification are perceived not only in the socio-spatial ordering of cities, but also affect the environment. Gentrification, in many cases, is accompanied by reduction of green areas in neighborhoods, from the greater waterproofing ground due to the expansion of built-up areas and the increased traffic of private vehicles, in addition to other transformations. These changes tend to intensify typical environmental problems of cities, such as pollution from the air, the heat islands and the floods.
Possible solutions to gentrification
Gentrification is a process guided by public and private interests, so that curbing its occurrence in urban centers depends not only on the performance of the real estate market and economic agents as well asperformance of local governance.
One of the main measures to contain this process is related to the planning the use and occupation of space through the elaboration or reformulation of urban zoning, expanding and diversifying the areas destined for construction in cities.|5|
A creating more inclusive spaces, with the availability of housing at fair prices and accessible to all sections of the population, is also a measure that can interrupt the flow of expulsion caused by gentrification. Consideration must still be given to maintenance of public spaces intended for the collective, which make cities a more democratic environment.
Solved exercises on gentrification
question 1
(Fuvest)
In Barcelona, in 2012 and 2013, every 15 minutes a family received an eviction order. Since then, the housing landscape has totally changed. “(…) We are witnessing a wave of real estate speculation (…) which now focuses on rent”, explains Daniel Pardo of the Residents' Association for Sustainable Tourism. “This phenomenon set in motion an accelerated and violent process of expelling tenants”, he adds. Where the pressure of international real estate speculation and the tourism industry has caused an increase substantial increase in rent prices, Catalans now have to spend more than 46% of their wages on rent. For young people up to 35 years old, the effort rate increases to 65% (…). “We don't want the inhabitants of Barcelona to be replaced by people with greater purchasing power”, says the spokesperson for the Union of Tenants. In Barcelona alone, 15 real estate investment funds own 3,000 apartments.
“The inhabitants want their city back”. Reporting by Ulrike Prinz for the Goethe-Institut Madrid. May/2018. Adapted.
The concepts that explain the urban dynamics described in the excerpt are:
A) financialization and industrialization.
B) gentrification and segregation.
C) agglomeration and conurbation.
D) industrialization and segregation.
E) conurbation and gentrification.
Resolution:
Alternative B
The text describes the process of real estate speculation and transformation in Barcelona's neighborhoods in favor of tourism, expelling former residents as a result of rising living costs. Thus, these dynamics can be described as, respectively, gentrification and segregation.
question 2
(And either)
Since 2009, the port area in Rio has undergone major transformations carried out within the scope of the consortium urban operation known as Porto Maravilha. An important part of the attempt to make Rio de Janeiro an international service hub, urban “revitalization” should leave behind a landscape geographical area that still recalled the city of the beginning of the last century to make room, in its place, for the installation of modern commercial towers, unprecedented consumption and leisure and about one hundred thousand new residents, a new socio-spatial configuration capable of raising the port area of Rio de Janeiro to the next level of the waterfronts from Baltimore, Barcelona and Buenos Aires.
LACERDA, L.; WERNECK, M.; RIBEIRO, b. Tenements of today in the city of tomorrow. e-metropolis, no. 30, Sept. 2017.
The urban interventions described derive from a socio-spatial process that seeks to:
A) intensified participation in global competitiveness.
B) containment of speculation in the real estate market.
C) democratization of popular housing.
D) appreciation of traditional functions.
E) prioritization of participatory management.
Resolution:
Alternative A
The development of the Porto Maravilha project is associated with the gentrification of the port area of Rio de Janeiro, promoted during the realization of large international events in the city with the purpose of expanding its participation in global competitiveness compared to other important tourist centers worldwide.
Grades
|1| ALCÂNTARA, Maurício Fernandes de. 2018. "Gentrification". In: Encyclopedia of Anthropology. São Paulo: University of São Paulo, Department of Anthropology. Available here.
|2| BRAGA, Emanuel Oliveira. Gentrification. In: GRIECO, Bettina; TEIXEIRA, Luciano; THOMPSON, Analucia (Orgs.). IPHAN Dictionary of Cultural Heritage. 2. ed. rev. and amp. Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia: IPHAN/DAF/Copedoc, 2016. (entry). ISBN 978-85-7334-299-4. Available here.
|3| COSTA, Emmanuel. What is gentrification and why should you care about it? COURB, 04 Apr. 2016. Available here.
|4| DE SOUZA, Thayná. Vidigal is the sixth most expensive neighborhood in Brazil to live in, says research. Voice of the Communities, 06 Mar. 2022. Available here.
|5| ESSAY. How to contain gentrification and expand access to the city? Estadão Mobility Summit, 06 Apr. 2020. Available here.
image credit
[1] Slrd Media / Shutterstock
[2] lazyllama / Shutterstock
By Paloma Guitarrara
Geography Teacher
Understand what real estate speculation is and the effects that this practice generates on the urban geographic space.
The struggle for Urban Reform, its characteristics and objectives.
Understand the issue of segregation and inequality in urban centers.
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