Shahid Beheshti University Soffeh 1683-870X 26 4 2016 05 21 Gentrification and its Adverse Impacts: The Case of Tenants in Tehran Gentrification and its Adverse Impacts: The Case of Tenants in Tehran 79 98 100329 FA Mona TajBakhsh PhD Candidate, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Shahid Beheshti University Jahanshah Pakzad Professor, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Shahid Beheshti University Journal Article 2017 12 02 ‘Gentrification’ is usually defined as the replacement of residents of a certain urban precinct by a wealthier income group. It could be because of a deliberate choice or the result of an involuntary eviction. Despite a common misunderstanding that gentrification is a planned approach in urban upgrading—similar to urban renewal, revitalization or regeneration—it is in fact a side effect of an upgrading project, which adversely affects the intended outcomes and defeats the actual purpose of such urban conservation programs. After an initial review of the meanings and definitions of gentrification, this research examines its process and consequences in some districts of Tehran Metropolis. For this purpose, a short list of some 40 tenants is developed comprising of low to middle-income tenants who had recently relocated from districts exposed to gentrification processes to cheaper surrounding neighborhoods. A smaller group of some 15 interviewees is then selected for deep semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis of these interviews demonstrated code categorizations resulting in two main core themes, i.e. crisis in individual-self relations and crisis in environment-self interactions. The main themes under the former include challenges in building and expressing a personal identity; as well as issues related to individual or household health. Adverse impacts under the latter core theme include an increase in social seclusion; reduction in place attachment; indifference towards community-engagement; lack of common memories; and depreciation of social and/or moral values. ‘Gentrification’ is usually defined as the replacement of residents of a certain urban precinct by a wealthier income group. It could be because of a deliberate choice or the result of an involuntary eviction. Despite a common misunderstanding that gentrification is a planned approach in urban upgrading—similar to urban renewal, revitalization or regeneration—it is in fact a side effect of an upgrading project, which adversely affects the intended outcomes and defeats the actual purpose of such urban conservation programs. After an initial review of the meanings and definitions of gentrification, this research examines its process and consequences in some districts of Tehran Metropolis. For this purpose, a short list of some 40 tenants is developed comprising of low to middle-income tenants who had recently relocated from districts exposed to gentrification processes to cheaper surrounding neighborhoods. A smaller group of some 15 interviewees is then selected for deep semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis of these interviews demonstrated code categorizations resulting in two main core themes, i.e. crisis in individual-self relations and crisis in environment-self interactions. The main themes under the former include challenges in building and expressing a personal identity; as well as issues related to individual or household health. Adverse impacts under the latter core theme include an increase in social seclusion; reduction in place attachment; indifference towards community-engagement; lack of common memories; and depreciation of social and/or moral values. https://soffeh.sbu.ac.ir/article_100329_df6d7c2be8dd528eb1d70dc44840f7e8.pdf