Avalanches in an extended Schelling model: an explanation of urban gentrification

TL;DR

This paper models urban gentrification as avalanche phenomena using an extended Schelling model, revealing how small economic shifts can trigger large-scale displacement events with power-law characteristics.

Contribution

It introduces a novel extended Schelling model to explain the dynamics of gentrification and displacement as self-organized critical phenomena with avalanche behavior.

Findings

Avalanche size distributions follow power-law histograms.

Gradual economic changes can trigger large displacement avalanches.

Displacement dynamics depend on agent intolerance and economic factors.

Abstract

In this work we characterize sudden increases in the land price of certain urban areas, a phenomenon causing gentrification, via an extended Schelling model. An initial price rise forces some of the disadvantaged inhabitants out of the area, creating vacancies which other groups find economically attractive. Intolerance issues forces further displacements, possibly giving rise to an avalanche. We consider how gradual changes in the economic environment affect the urban architecture through such avalanche processes, when agents may enter or leave the city freely. The avalanches are characterized by power-law histograms, as it is usually the case in self-organized critical phenomena.