gentrification

noun

gen·​tri·​fi·​ca·​tion ˌjen-trə-fə-ˈkā-shən 

: a process in which a poor area (as of a city) experiences an influx of middle-class or wealthy people who renovate and rebuild homes and businesses and which often results in an increase in property values and the displacement of earlier, usually poorer residents

a neighborhood undergoing gentrification

"This week, we're talking about gentrification. Middle-class people move in. Property values and rents rise. Things change and improve but not for everyone. …"

—Lulu Garcia-Navarro

Opposition is also stoked by fear of gentrification—displacement of longtime residents through higher rents or property taxes.

—Steven Litt

The construction of luxury housing and gentrification of neighborhoods is pushing families out of communities they have called home for years.

—Heidi Romanish and David Snyder

In an effort to keep gentrification from creeping in the same way into the 30th Ward … Jessica Gutierrez wants to keep a lid on property taxes and inform residents about affordable housing.

—Alexandra Arriaga

Examples of gentrification in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Olympic historians say the hype can distract residents from downsides for other hosts, such as gentrification, corruption, rising taxes or empty promises of environmental improvements. —Hannah Schoenbaum, Quartz, 10 Apr. 2024

Stories about traffic, speeding, redevelopment, gentrification, school rezoning and more. —Steve Coffman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Apr. 2024

In that time, he’s seen gentrification spread to areas like Temescal and Mosswood but stop abruptly at the highway. —Ethan Varian, The Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2024

Despite its success and fiercely committed community, due to gentrification, the event is set to lose its venue. —Addie Morfoot, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024

The area has experienced challenges, broadly with gentrification and more specifically with the disruption caused by the construction of the OC Transportation Authority’s $509-million rail project. —Sarah Mosqueda, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024

Without that protection, our community will be at the mercy of gentrification. —Sam Kmack, The Arizona Republic, 10 Feb. 2024

Last week, The New York Times published a timeline of how gentrification has changed Williamsburg. —José Criales-Unzueta, Vogue, 9 Feb. 2024

As is the story across New York City, crime peaked in Harlem in the late 1980s and 1990s, and gentrification continues to rewrite the neighborhood’s story, block by block. —Debra Kamin, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

gentry + -ification

First Known Use

1964, in the meaning defined above