| Even after 40 years of scholarship there remains much disagreement among social scientists about the causes of gentrification. To "supply-side," structuralist observers gentrification is seen as the result of changes in the macro-economy, policy shifts, and revanchism on the part of wealthier, middle class residents. To observers favoring "demand side," rational choice explanations gentrification is the result of disillusionment with suburbia by some in the middle class. For members of this latter camp, understanding the causes of gentrification necessarily requires understanding the motives of gentrifiers. To help resolve this debate, insights from both the "supply side" and "demand side" are combined to articulate a generalizable, testable theory of gentrification. The theory is devised using results from a qualitative, univariate, "descriptive" model and a quantitative, multivariate, "predictive" model. Tests of the latter model indicate that it cannot be used to predict gentrification's occurrence precisely, but that it can be used to identify areas ripe for gentrifying activity. Gentrification policies are subsequently examined in light of the proposed theory, and the theory's validity is itself evaluated using abductive reasoning. The theory is seen as valid; however given the deficiencies associated with abductive reasoning the theory is also seen as needing additional testing for validity strengthening. |
