From gentrification to the geography of gentrification: shifts in paradigms and methods

Abstract

With the advancement of globalization and neoliberalism, gentrification studies have expanded beyond the original focus on living space changes of low-income groups in urban communities in Western Europe and North America, to the broader changes in the social space in urban and rural areas globally, constituting a critical field of the “geography of gentrification”. The geography of gentrification connects with cutting-edge theories of glocalization, unbalanced development and capital switching, and has become a crucial heuristic tool for interpreting the (re)construction of urban and rural social spaces in the post-industrial era. This paper reviews the evolving trends in methods, data and evaluating indices amidst the shift from gentrification to the geography of gentrification, concerning three dimensions, i.e., consumption, production, and the integration of the consumption and production. Overall, the analytical paradigms have undergone a transformation from static to dynamic, and from qualitative to quantitative, and further, to mixed methods. The data sources have expanded beyond traditional statistical and survey data to multi-source big data. The indicator sets have developed from simple socio-economic indicators to complex multi-dimensional comprehensive evaluation systems. Furthermore, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies have enabled real-time monitoring and precise prediction of the process of gentrification, ushering new theoretical and methodological frontiers. This paper further highlights that studies of the geography of gentrification necessitate a continuous focus on scalar politics and comparative and critical studies, in particularly in China, in response to the official and social claims for common prosperity, equity, and spatial justice.

Keywords

Gentrification / Geography of Gentrification / Consumption / Production / Integrated approach / Indicator system

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Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China(42271240)

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