ABSTRACT

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book discusses the general theory of urbanization and planning by bringing together and synthesizing a wide range of “critical” perspectives on gentrification. It also discusses the special attention to racialized populations and other marginalized populations in US cities. Urban studies scholars throughout the United States and beyond have largely failed to properly study the enduring and changing relationship between race and class in the urban context. Few scholars agree on how to define it or whether it is boon or curse for cities. Scholars of the urban condition working in diverse disciplines—ranging from urban planning and human geography to sociology and, more recently, comparative ethnic studies—are working to expand its intellectual breadth and critical perspective and offer more analytical clarity and utility.