ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on gentrification and gentrifiers. The former is often seen as a process of central importance in the construction of the contemporary geography of many areas, including central areas in many of the world's largest and most power laden cities. It has also been identified as being of significance in the changing geography of many rural areas, including, once more, some of the most power laden of such areas. Gentrification is therefore one aspect of the creation of 'places of the centre'. Gentrifiers are the people involved in this process and they may hence be seen to be 'people in the centre' in that they can be characterised as being in the centre of, and key agents within, the processes of making places of the centre. Gentrifiers may also be seen to be people in the centre in the sense that they are characterised as being part of a large and relatively powerful 'middle' class.
