Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2026 - GEOG 362W D100

Gentrification and Urban Change (4)

Class Number: 1283

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 9 – Dec 7, 2026: Mon, 2:30–4:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    45 units, including GEOG 100 or 161.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Contemporary cases and conceptualizations of gentrification and related processes of urban change. Central themes include: political, economic, social, and cultural manifestations of gentrification; class, gender, and racialization; the role of development, planning, architecture, the arts, and resistance movements; and gentrification’s global geographies. Students with credit for GEOG 362 may not take this course for further credit. Writing.

COURSE DETAILS:

This course focuses on gentrification, which is a common and particularly contentious form of urban change. Gentrification is the replacement of the existing land-use, demographic, and aesthetic character of a neighbourhood with another set of land uses, people, and aesthetics in order to extract increased economic value from that place. Gentrification emphasizes how fixed concrete places are, simultaneously, restless social and spatial processes, that are tied up in relations of power, politics, and social justice. We will explore the geographies and politics of gentrification by taking an intersectional approach that emphasizes how various forces, institutions, and identities combine to produce uneven social and geographical effects in cities. We will engage with the key concepts that help us analyze gentrification and we will explore numerous case studies from cities across the world.

Grading

  • • Participation and In-Class Learning 20%
  • • Writing Exercises 25%
  • • Research Paper Proposal 10%
  • • Research Proposal Roundtable 5%
  • • Final Research Paper 40%

NOTES:

  • There will not be a final examination

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Lees, L., Slater, T., & Wyly, E. (2008 ppr. 2013 ebook). Gentrification. Routledge.

Kern, L. (2022). Gentrification is inevitable and other lies. Verso Books.

Other required readings are listed at the end of the syllabus. Most readings are available through the library’s electronic catalogue. A few are web pages. The rest will be made available to you.


Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.

To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit: 


RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.