Question

“Gentrification” is a term coined by the British sociologist Ruth Glass in 1964 to explain the return of the middle class to London's city center. In the US, academics and urban planners first started extensively talking about and debating gentrification in the 1970s. Today, the meaning of gentrification no longer refers to the “return to the center.” Instead, it usually means that new and affluent residents or developers are investing in a neighborhood.

Is urban redevelopment good or bad? Should public policies and planning practices encourage or discourage non-poor households moving into lower-income urban neighborhoods?

Answer 1