The term gentrification derives from gentry, which in English means “minor nobility,” and is a word coined in 1964 by sociologist Ruth Glass to describe what was happening in London in working-class neighborhoods where, starting in the 1960s, many people from the more affluent classes moved in.
It is a phenomenon that affects large cities and European and American metropolises and is a direct consequence of the renewed interest in city life that has affected the middle classes in recent years.
In the last thirty years, the demand for homes in city centers has therefore increased, often without sufficient supply. Homes in city centers are few and often very expensive. This is why those who want to live in the city have started to consider neighborhoods where the poorest segments of the population lived.
Traditionally, the first people to move to these neighborhoods were artists, intellectuals, and people generally identified as “bohemian,” attracted by lower prices, the authenticity of the places, and the nonconformist choice of going to live there. With the increase in people moving to these neighborhoods, those who wanted to profit from it also arrived: houses, often old and in poor condition, were renovated, disused industrial buildings were transformed into apartments, and new buildings were constructed.
The price of houses in these neighborhoods began to rise. New shops also arrived, from supermarkets to smaller, fashionable ones specifically dedicated to the new residents of the neighborhood. In gentrified neighborhoods, luxury apartments are also built, which usually did not exist before. The urban identity of the neighborhood is therefore transformed, even in a very evident way. A gentrified neighborhood is redeveloped and equipped with more modern and functional infrastructure. The crime rate, inevitably, decreases.
In Rome, neighborhoods affected by gentrification have initially been neighborhoods like Ostiense, Testaccio, Valle Aurelia, San Lorenzo, Pigneto, Tor Pignattara, etc.
