Review: 'The Handbook of Gentrification Studies'

A book by Loretta Lees and Martin Phillips, published in 2018, is reviewed and recommended to "graduates studying anthropology of cities, urbanism, geography, and new urban identities."

1 minute read

March 28, 2019, 8:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Gentrification

MsSaraKelly / Flickr

The Handbook of Gentrification Studies, comprises studies split into 27 chapters, aiming for comprehensiveness. Yves Laberge, from the University of Ottawa in Canada, reviews the Handbook for the Electronic Green Journal.

According to Laberge, the Handbook takes several approaches to defining and describing gentrification. Petra Doan in Chapter 10 defines gentrification as "a process in which higher income land-users replace lower income land-users and increase capital investment in the neighbourhood," for instance. Another chapter identifies three subcategories of "green gentrification": environmental gentrification, ecological gentrification, and green gentrification.

Summarizing the assessment, Laberge writes that the Handbook, "provides the richest, the most comprehensive presentation on gentrification, with its main concepts and subfields, the various disciplines referring to it, and numerous ramifications such as tourism gentrification, soft gentrification, rural gentrification, and many others."

 

Thursday, February 28, 2019 in Electronic Green Journal

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

White and purple sign for Slow Street in San Francisco, California with people crossing crosswalk.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths

Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

July 1, 2025 - KQED

Google street view of red brick multi-story power plant building in Pittsburgh, PA.

Defunct Pittsburgh Power Plant to Become Residential Tower

A decommissioned steam heat plant will be redeveloped into almost 100 affordable housing units.

July 4 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Cyclist on protected bike lane in middle of street in Washington D.C. with Washington Monument obelisk visible in background.

Trump Prompts Restructuring of Transportation Research Board in “Unprecedented Overreach”

The TRB has eliminated more than half of its committees including those focused on climate, equity, and cities.

July 4 - Streetsblog USA

Blue and silver Amtrak train at small station.

Amtrak Rolls Out New Orleans to Alabama “Mardi Gras” Train

The new service will operate morning and evening departures between Mobile and New Orleans.

July 3 - New Orleans City Business