Gentrification in Australia’s largest cities: a bird’s-eye view

ABSTRACT

This study measures where gentrification has been occurring in the past decade in Australia’s three major cities: Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. Based on existing theory, an analytical framework is built to locate gentrification, which takes into account various demographic indicators and spatial markers. The findings are quite surprising, and contradict earlier urban geography theories that frame gentrification as an inner-city phenomenon. The highest levels of gentrification are not found in the immediate inner cities but rather in a band located 5–15 km from the CBDs. In contrast to outer suburbs, the inner suburbs in all three cities are relatively stable and affluent at this point, with median house prices surpassing one million dollars, and median incomes substantially higher than average. The ‘new middle class’ which has traditionally been associated with inner city gentrification is unable to access the housing market in these previously gentrified suburbs, and is therefore moving outwards.

KEYWORDS:

• Gentrification
• Australia
• Brisbane
• Sydney
• Melbourne
• GIS

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Because variables such as income, education and occupation are often collinear, the index was recalculated thrice using only one of these variables at a time, but change was minimal. The key finding that the highest levels of gentrification are occurring in bands located 5 to 15 km from the CBDs was upheld. Hence, income, education and occupation were all included in the final index as existing theory suggests that each captures a different aspect of gentrification.