Gentrification in urban studies: an investigation about the academic production of cities

Abstract

Many of the current urban transformation processes are discussed based on the notion of gentrification. Its traditional definition implies urban restructuring and replacement of social classes. However, its application to urban studies has led to a debate focusing on various topics. What types of processes are related to gentrification in current studies? This article presents the findings of a bibliometric research concerning the use of the term gentrification. We searched for documents published in the databases Web of Science and SciELO in the last five years containing the term in their titles. A total of 159 articles was found. The results indicate an increase in the use of the term, the establishment of diverse types of gentrification, and academic differences in the attribution of the consequences of this process.