The Form of Gentrification

TL;DR

This paper investigates how urban form influences gentrification by analyzing morphological features of London neighborhoods, revealing consistent patterns that support the role of city structure in gentrification processes.

Contribution

It introduces a morphological analysis approach to studying gentrification, filling a gap by linking urban form with socioeconomic neighborhood changes.

Findings

Gentrified neighborhoods share similar morphological patterns.

Urban type and road layout are indicative of gentrification.

Results support the role of urban form in gentrification dynamics.

Abstract

Many socioeconomic studies have been carried out to explain the phenomenon of gentrification. Although results of these works shed light on the process around this phenomenon, a perspective which focuses on the relationship between city form and gentrification is still missing. With this paper we try to address this gap by studying and comparing, through classic methods of mathematical statistics, morphological features of five London gentrified neighbourhoods. Outcomes confirm that areas which have undergone gentrification display similar and recognizable morphological patterns in terms of urban type and geographical location of main and local roads as well as businesses. These initial results confirm findings from previous research in urban sociology, and highlight the role of urban form in contributing to shape dynamics of non-spatial nature in cities.