They Came for the Neighborhood
Although the long-term impact of the ongoing pandemic upon cities remains uncertain, one reality remains constant: housing costs continue to tick upward in desirable urban areas. This raises the twin specters of gentrification and displacement. The causes and connections of these processes have been hotly discussed and debated over the past several decades in both academic and popular discourse.
Recently, I enjoyed a break from my biography on H. P. Lovecraft and his New York City years and wrote a review for The Metropole of The Misunderstand History of Gentrification: People, Planning, Preservation, and Urban Renewal, 1915-2020 by Dennis Gale. Gale argues for shifting the origin date of the gentrification phenomenon in American cities and reconsidering its prime movers.
You can read my review here. An interesting book for any devotee or scholar of the city.