North American Gentrification? Revanchist and Emancipatory Perspectives Explored

Abstract

IntroductionBy the early 1990s disagreement over the causes and significance of gentrification had reached boiling point (for example, Hamnett, 1991;Smith, 1992). Helpful interjections from Clark (1992) and Lees (1994a) tried to reconcile theoretical divisions with the notion of complementarity, whereby``comparing and informing one set of ideas with another'', as Lees put it (1994a, page 139), would advance our understanding of the process. However, in a paper that has quickly become required reading for gentrification researchers, Wyly and Hammel (1999, page 718) observe that,``despite attempts to forge a new synthesis, much of the gentrification literature remains balkanised along lines of debate established a generation ago.'' Bondi was so troubled by the resilience of earlier debates (such as economics versus culture, property supply versus consumer demand, structural Marxism versus liberal humanism) that she pondered whether a disintegration of gentrification research``might actually be a sign of good health'' (1999, page 255).There are indeed signs that gentrification discourse is locked within the zeitgeist of the 1980s. Take, for example, a recent essay by Hamnett, published in a text intended as an academic guide to contemporary urban issues. After reviewing some recent work, his conclusion could have been written in the 1980s:`I am dubious of the extent to which the rent gap is a principal driver of this process. There is no doubt that property prices in potentially gentrifiable areas are relatively low and that this is, or was, one of the key attractions for gentrifiers, but it is not a sufficient explanation'' (2000, page 337).

From London to Mumbai and Back Again: Gentrification and Public Policy in Comparative Perspective

“…Such a perspective already has a rich and productive intellectual tradition within gentrification research, arguably more so than in other strands of urban literature. Analytical frameworks have ranged from trans-Atlantic comparisons (Carpenter and Lees, 1995;Van Criekingen and Decroly, 2003), trans-continental comparisons (Slater, 2004), inter-urban national comparisons (Ley, 1996) to intra-urban comparative perspectives (Butler and Robson, 2003;Hackworth, 2002).…”

Class Transformation and Work-Life Balance in Urban Britain: The Case of Manchester

“…For although there might have been a period at the end of the twentieth century when the academic production of work on gentrification slowed (Lees 2000), this moment appears to have passed. A host of journal special editions (Urban Studies 2003;Environment andPlanning 2004, 2007), together with a rash of books and a continuing flow of papers on its different empirical, methodological and theoretical aspects bare testament to the continuing vibrancy of this work (Atkinson and Bridge 2005;Bridge 2003;Butler 2003;Dutton 2003;Hackworth 2007;Lees et al 2007;Slater 2004;Slater et al 2004;Wyly and Hammel 2004). According to Slater et al (2004), much of this work has focused on two themes: the first has been that concerned with the practices of those portions of the middle class who have relocated: those who gentrify an area through their actions and exercising their preferences.…”

Neighbourhood change among creative–cultural districts in mid-sized US metropolitan areas, 2000–10

“…Though this process has been well documented in North America's largest cities, particularly in New York City (Lees, 2003;Newman & Wyly, 2006;Porter, 2010;Slater, 2004), there remains a need for empirical, neighbourhood-level data on cities further down the urban hierarchy. To begin addressing the paucity of empirical data on gentrification among mid-sized American cities, and to provide an initial exploratory assessment of recent neighbourhood change and gentrification among CCDs, several common indicators were examined, including population, household size, age, occupation, educational attainment (i.e., per cent of residents 25 years and older with a bachelor's degree or higher), median household income, and median gross monthly rent (cost of the living space plus utilities).…”