ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the widely held view that artists are key agents in the process of urban gentrification, as they migrate to economically depressed neighborhoods and industrial zones in search of cheap places to live and work. The influx of artists changes the local culture and ethnic mix, making the places more amenable to a second wave of moneyed hipsters, gourmet cafes, and higher rents. Revenue-hungry municipalities often join in by designating the areas arts or historic districts. Recent hype about a burgeoning “creative economy” only encourages the process. To help explain this complex phenomenon, I recount my own experiences of arts neighborhoods in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, noting differences in how gentrification has plays out. Also referenced are recent studies showing that no single model defines gentrification in all locales.
