Transport-induced gentrification in Latin America: An urban conflict arising from accessibility improvements

Abstract

Through cross-sectional analysis, studies on transport-induced gentrification often interpret the phenomenon as an outcome instead of recognizing it as a set of intertwined processes. Consequently, limited insights are provided about the mechanisms underlying gentrification, which manifests gradually over the long-term interactions between transportation and urban development, primally driven by accessibility improvements. The absence of descriptive efforts poses a challenge for policymakers to predict or identify gentrification occurrence, besides inducing biased outcomes in investigations. This paper aims to provide researchers and policymakers with a conceptual framework of transport-induced gentrification, systematising explanations of space production and consumption in Latin-American metropolises. Firstly, we have undergone a theoretical review on land-use and transport interactions to develop an a priori conceptual framework. Subsequently, we applied a systematic literature review on empirical studies of Latin-American gentrification to incorporate some particularities into the framework, representing the phenomenon as an urban conflict generated in and through accessibility improvements.