Measuring Gentrification in the Russafa Neighborhood

Abstract

[EN] Gentrification is a global phenomenon, affecting a large number of cities. It involves the displacement of neighbourhood resident by new residents of a higher socioeconomic status. This article aims to highlight the characteristics of the phenomenon in the Russafa neighbourhood, in the city of Valencia. The paper focuses on two aspects: changes in the socioeconomic characteristics of the resident population and physical changes in the housing stock. The data were collected from the Population and Housing Census, the Municipal Register of Inhabitants and other statistical information compiled by the Valencia City Council. The neighbourhood’s socioeconomic status is approximated through three variables: educational level, vehicle fleet and income, based on the analysis of housing prices. The results obtained show physical and social transformations typical of gentrification phenomena. On the one hand, from the physical point of view, the data indicates that an important real estate activity of renovation, rehabilitation and construction of new housing is carried out. On the other hand, the results indicate that at the end of the analysed period, the socioeconomic level of the population has increased considerably. Thus, the paper supports previous approaches in the literature on the effects of gentrification.