A concept run amok: how to use gentrification in urban studies

Daniel Sorando

Chapter 1 in Gentrification and Schooling in Global Cities, 2026, pp 19-35 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This chapter offers a comprehensive review of gentrification as a central yet contested concept in urban studies and contemporary urban debates. It examines the principal theoretical perspectives explaining the phenomenon, distinguishing between production-side approaches and consumption-side approaches. The analysis addresses gentrification's detrimental consequences, including direct and symbolic displacement of vulnerable populations, while engaging with ongoing controversies regarding the actual extent of displacement. Finally, the chapter considers the global and conceptual expansion of the term, proposing a definition that balances the universal economic mechanisms of capitalist urbanisation with institutional specificities, advocating for a reflexive application of the concept across diverse urban contexts and educational debates.

Keywords: Gentrification; Displacement; Education; Urban Studies; Capitalist Urbanisation; Reflexive Sociology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035346677
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