Hyper-gentrification and the urbanisation of suburbia

Suburban belts and outer-city areas in global cities such as Vancouver, London and New York are undergoing little noticed structural, social and formal changes. The diverse and often contradictory uses of ‘hyper’ and ‘super’ gentrification share an understanding that the process in question is one in which already gentrified inner-city neighbourhoods are undergoing a new phase of gentrification. Hyper-gentrification is more than simply a new phase in the process, as it undermines the tenets of some of the leading gentrification theories. Hyper-gentrification undermines the theories, as a local rent gap becomes a minor concern in these global processes and Ley’s white-collar employees and their cultural preferences become irrelevant. A key outcome of the hyper-gentrification of inner-cities has been the exodus of outpriced middle-class residents. Some cities, such as London, have specifically identified the suburban belt as a focus of future housing and densification.