Is gentrification beneficial to regeneration?
Gentrification is a controversial topic within regeneration, defined by a variety of urban planners and architects alike. Smith and Williams (1986, p.3) describe the process of gentrification as dynamic, which cannot be constrained to a simple definition. ‘Gentrification of the City’ (Smith and Williams, 1986) explores the idea of gentrification as made up of several layers and developments that can only be understood if the links between one another are inferred. The concept of gentrification consists of the following main factors: social, economic and political, as outlined by Atkinson and Bridge (2005, p.5).
This literature review will explore the social factors of gentrification and the benefits …show more content…
‘Two cheers for regeneration’ is a compelling piece of literature written by Byrne (2003) in which aspects of social, political and economical benefits that surface through gentrification, have been tackled. His argument regarding displacement and therefore tension between social groups has been that the majority of pieces written on this subject don’t look at the movement from one gentrifying neighbourhood to another, therefore failing “to show how much displacement would occur in the absence of gentrification” (p.413). Byrne also specifies that through gentrification the social isolation of the poor is ameliorated, there is a great reduction in crime and that the educational system is improved (pp.422-424), highlighting again the benefits of the transformation. With little research into the “relationship between persons moving away and the gentrification” (p.411), we cannot assume that displacement is only affected by gentrification, thus displaying the idea gentrification is not the only factor of social tension, therefore portraying this as a positive factor within the social …show more content…
The social factors mentioned are the lack of research in between ethnicity and race and what the exerted effects this has on gentrification, as well as the need for further investigation in the field of immigrants and ethnic minorities. The main factor in discovering tensions between class, gender and sexuality, is identified by Lees as the ‘social class’. The importance of inequality is also touched upon, as in present society a clear tangent of ‘class inequality’ versus ‘gender inequality’ is observed (p.394). The writer elaborates: “The dream of gentrifying tolerance and equality has struggled to accommodate people who do not accept the idea that all values deserve equal protection”(p.393). However, the legislation behind the process of gentrification is aiming for a “civilized city life”, whereby social aspects such as mixed communities and class are undermined and not thoroughly
Gentrification is a controversial topic within regeneration, defined by a variety of urban planners and architects alike. Smith and Williams (1986, p.3) describe the process of gentrification as dynamic, which cannot be constrained to a simple definition. ‘Gentrification of the City’ (Smith and Williams, 1986) explores the idea of gentrification as made up of several layers and developments that can only be understood if the links between one another are inferred. The concept of gentrification consists of the following main factors: social, economic and political, as outlined by Atkinson and Bridge (2005, p.5).
This literature review will explore the social factors of gentrification and the benefits …show more content…
‘Two cheers for regeneration’ is a compelling piece of literature written by Byrne (2003) in which aspects of social, political and economical benefits that surface through gentrification, have been tackled. His argument regarding displacement and therefore tension between social groups has been that the majority of pieces written on this subject don’t look at the movement from one gentrifying neighbourhood to another, therefore failing “to show how much displacement would occur in the absence of gentrification” (p.413). Byrne also specifies that through gentrification the social isolation of the poor is ameliorated, there is a great reduction in crime and that the educational system is improved (pp.422-424), highlighting again the benefits of the transformation. With little research into the “relationship between persons moving away and the gentrification” (p.411), we cannot assume that displacement is only affected by gentrification, thus displaying the idea gentrification is not the only factor of social tension, therefore portraying this as a positive factor within the social …show more content…
The social factors mentioned are the lack of research in between ethnicity and race and what the exerted effects this has on gentrification, as well as the need for further investigation in the field of immigrants and ethnic minorities. The main factor in discovering tensions between class, gender and sexuality, is identified by Lees as the ‘social class’. The importance of inequality is also touched upon, as in present society a clear tangent of ‘class inequality’ versus ‘gender inequality’ is observed (p.394). The writer elaborates: “The dream of gentrifying tolerance and equality has struggled to accommodate people who do not accept the idea that all values deserve equal protection”(p.393). However, the legislation behind the process of gentrification is aiming for a “civilized city life”, whereby social aspects such as mixed communities and class are undermined and not thoroughly