Deprivation and gentrification in London

As this article in the Telegraph discusses, researchers from Cambridge devised a method to identify gentrifying areas in London, comparing social media data (twitter and foursquare) with the Indices of Deprivation.

“Researchers compared half a million tweets and Foursquare check-ins across more than 40,000 London locations, with area deprivation scores. They found that less economically well-off areas that were frequented by a diverse group of strangers as evidenced by social media were the boroughs most likely to gentrify. In other words, if a neighbourhood was often visited by groups of people who didn’t live in it or know each other, it was more likely to become more middle-class – especially if it is currently underdeveloped.”

More detailed information about the study can be found in this Citymetric article. While a ‘connection’ between deprivation, diversity and gentrification might be well taken with a grain of salt, it is nonetheless an interesting use of the Indices. An analysis of changes within these authorities at LSOA level might shed more light on the gentrification of these neighbourhoods.