What Does 'Gentrification' Really Mean?

No two people seem to quite agree on what the word "gentrification" means. If you're at all interested in what shapes our cities, you're bound to find yourself in a conversation about gentrification eventually—and you might find yourself in a fight.

1 minute read

August 7, 2017, 2:00 PM PDT

By fieldafm


To some, gentrification is synonymous with an inseparably interconnected web of violent acts; it's a thing to be fought if we want to preserve compassion for the most vulnerable in our societies and guard against unmitigated greed. To others, though, gentrification is the simple mechanism by which we make our cities better, tied up in our most basic economic processes. But to many more, "gentrification" is a word that provokes anxiety and uncertainty, especially if we're people who hold some degree of economic, social or other power and we're not sure how best to use it.

Monday, August 7, 2017 in Modern Cities

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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

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