| ABSTRCT | Gentrification in the East End of London was first identified by Ruth Glass in 1964 and defined as a process of class succession and displacement that generally occurred in areas broadly characterized by working-class and unskilled households. Different from urbanisation, suburbanisation and counter-urbanisation, gentrification is considered as a new tendency of urban development in the postmodern society. There have been many studies of gentrification focusing on inner city. Gentrification in inner city is widely recognized as an international phenomenon. In recent years, research on gentrification has extended from urban to rural areas. However, studies on rural gentrification are relatively few in comparison with studies on urban gentrification. Additionally, studies on rural gentrification generally concentrate on advanced western nations. Therefore, this paper attempts to examine gentrification in three villages (Dachou, Dayin and Shingien) in Sanshing Country in Taiwan.
This research conducted a general observation of rural gentrification in Sanshing country. It paid attention to phenomenon of rural gentrification, factors of rural gentrification and impacts of gentrification on rural areas. We adopted text analysis and deep interview. In the field research, we found that gentrification is beginning in the three villages. Additionally, this research found that rural gentrification can be caused by multiple factors, including individual preference, property market and institution. Finally, we found that gentrification in the three villages has led to changes in land use and landscape, and to estrangement between inhabitants and new comers. These observed changes indicate that the effects of gentrification on rural development can be positive and negative, implying that new tactics in rural development are required to response these effects.
|