gentrification

American  

[jen-truh-fi-key-shuhn] / ˌdʒɛn trə fɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the buying and renovation of houses and stores in deteriorated urban neighborhoods by upper- or middle-income families or individuals, raising property values but often displacing low-income families and small businesses.

2. the process of conforming to an upper- or middle-class lifestyle, or of making a product, activity, etc., appealing to those with more affluent tastes.

   the gentrification of fashion.

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gentrification British  

/ ˌdʒɛntrɪfɪˈkeɪʃən /

noun

1. a process by which middle-class people take up residence in a traditionally working-class area of a city, changing the character of the area

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Other Word Forms

• gentrifier noun

Etymology

Origin of gentrification

gentr(y) ( def. ) + -i- ( def. ) + -fication; coined by sociologist Ruth Glass (1912–90), German-born British sociologist in 1964

Example Sentences

In Bali, Colombia and Thailand, the strains of housing American remote workers paid in dollars have inspired locals to mount protests against a wave of gentrification.

From The Wall Street Journal

South of the city centre, it is known for its bustling markets, bohemian history and heavy gentrification.

From BBC

Like Puerto Rico, Hawaii became a U.S. colony in 1898 — and both islands have struggled against increasing gentrification and the displacement of local communities by wealthy outsiders.

From Los Angeles Times

"This is not the slow, decades-long gentrification often seen in Western cities. It's a rapid, almost violent reshaping that is already forcing millions of residents to the margins," he writes.

From BBC

Threaded with fiddle, piano and lead vocal by his son Jaime, “Nashville Skyline” is an elegy for Nashville’s rapacious gentrification as well as a love lost to time.

From Los Angeles Times