The production of community in a gentrifying space: A case study of Chatsworth Road, Hackney.

The production of community in a gentrifying space: A case study of Chatsworth Road, Hackney. Mahalia Sterling.

ABSTRACT

This paper will investigate the production of community in an early gentrifying space. The research will focus on Chatsworth Road, a high street in the East London borough of Hackney. The research aimed to investigate how community, a sense of belonging and gentrification is understood by the middle class and gentrifying community of Chatsworth Road. The focus is on the migration of the middle class due to the transformation and establishment of new sub-cultures and lifestyles that aid the gentrification process. An ethnographic approach was undertaken within this research, which involved a mix of methods such as semi-structured interviews, the analysis of online discussion forums and the analysis of secondary data.

Keywords Gentrification, Community, Belonging, Middle Class, London, High Street