Bridging spatial scales between neighbourhood upgrading and displacement: A methodological approach to investigate gentrification

Abstract The conceptualisation of gentrification and its relationship to displacement remains highly contested within urban studies, which is also reflected in divergent methodological approaches. While there are integrated methodologies which combine measures for both phenomena and allow to estimate the effect of gentrification on the extent of displacement, there is a lack of quantitative approaches which are capable of revealing how neighbourhood upgrading is related to individual displacement specifically. This article addresses this gap by introducing a sequential research design that combines the spatial analysis of socio-economic and real estate upgrading processes at neighbourhood level with a survey-based analysis of displacement. The combination of spatial analysis and tailored primary survey enables us to precisely determine the factors behind displacement at the individual level and distinguish between different forms of (gentrification-related) displacement in systematically selected neighbourhoods. In turn, these displacement processes can be contextualised within differentiated upgrading patterns at neighbourhood level. Thus, the approach bridges the gap between relevant dimensions and scales of gentrification and helps to elucidate their substantive relationship. The methodology is illustrated using the example of the city of Nuremberg, Germany. The displacement survey was conducted in three case study neighbourhoods identified through a systematic, data-driven selection strategy.