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

But while Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks just had to worry about the gentrification of the Upper West Side, there were bigger concerns at play in various corners of the gay community. —Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 2 Dec. 2024

Erica Rose, co-founder of The Lesbian Bar Project, which has documented and fundraised for the United States’ remaining lesbian bars, said there are a few factors behind this decadeslong trend, including gentrification, misogyny in small-business loans and the gender pay gap. —Ellie Rudy, NBC News, 4 Oct. 2024

Faced with higher costs of living and pressures of gentrification, many residents already had sold their land to developers or landlords. —Ella Adams, USA TODAY, 24 Nov. 2024

An art exhibition on display in Detroit is taking an up-close look at the effects of gentrification in Rust Belt cities while offering a bright, hopeful vision for the future. —Duante Beddingfield, Detroit Free Press, 13 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

gentry + -ification

First Known Use

1964, in the meaning defined above