How can rising housing costs displace longtime residents during gentrification?

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urban culture Cafes and shops along Montague Street in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York.

In the context of urban sociology, gentrification is a process where wealthier individuals and businesses move into disinvested neighborhoods, leading to an influx of investment and changes to the built environment. This transformation frequently results in rising property values and an increased cost of living that exceeds the financial means of the original, often lower-income, residents.1

As housing costs rise, longtime residents are displaced because they can no longer afford to remain in their homes or the surrounding area. This displacement is often exacerbated by:

Redevelopment: Property owners may destroy or renovate existing low-cost housing to build new, more expensive properties that original residents cannot afford.1
Economic Pressure: As the supply of affordable housing diminishes, the financial burden on low-income families—who may already face systemic economic disadvantages—becomes unsustainable.1
Aggressive Tactics: In some instances, property owners have utilized extreme measures, such as arson, to force residents out of low-cost buildings to capitalize on rising market prices.1

Ultimately, this displacement disrupts established familial and cultural support systems, forcing residents to relocate and often complicating their access to local employment.1