Gentrification

housing is built. When the housing at the center has reached the end of its useful life
and is therefore cheap, the well-to-do gentrify the neighborhood. The push outward from
the city center continues as the housing in each ring reaches the end of its economic
life. They observe that gentrification has three interpretations: (a) "great, the value of my
house is going up, (b) coffee is more expensive, now that we have a Starbucks, and (c)
my neighbors and I can no longer afford to live here (community displacement)
London and Palen
Causes
There are several approaches that attempt to explain the roots and the reasons behind
the spread of gentrification. Bruce London and J. John Palen (1984) compiled a list of
five explanations: (1) demographic-ecological, (2) sociocultural, (3) political-economical,
(4) community networks, and (5) social movements.
Demographic-Ecological
The first theory, demographic-ecological, attempts to explain gentrification through the
analysis of demographics: population, social organization, environment, and technology.
This theory frequently refers to the growing number of people between the ages of 25
and 35 in the 1970s, or the baby boom generation. Because the number of people that
sought housing increased, the demand for housing increased also. The supply could not
keep up with the demand; therefore cities were "recycled" to meet such demands
(London and Palen, 1984). The baby boomers in pursuit of housing were very different,
demographically, from their house-hunting predecessors. They married at an older age
and had fewer children. Their children were born later. Women, both single and married,
were entering the labor force at higher rates which led to an increase of dual wageearner
households. These households were typically composed of young, more affluent
couples without children. Because these couples were child-free and were not
concerned with the conditions of schools and playgrounds, they elected to live in
the inner city in close proximity to their jobs. These more affluent people usually had
white-collar, not blue-collar jobs. Since these white-collar workers wanted to live closer
to work, a neighborhood with more white-collar jobs was more likely to be invaded; the
relationship between administrative activity and invasion was positively correlated
(London and Palen, 1984).
Sociocultural
The second theory proposed by London and Palen is based on a sociocultural
explanation of gentrification. This theory argues that values, sentiments, attitudes,
ideas, beliefs, and choices should be used to explain and predict human behavior, not
demographics, or "structural units of analysis" (i.e., characteristics of populations)
(London and Palen, 1984). This analysis focuses on the changing attitudes, lifestyles,
and values of the middle- and upper-middle-class of the 1970s. They were becoming
more pro-urban than before, opting not to live in rural or even suburban areas anymore.
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