It’s a commonly held view that the arts drive gentrification. Many city leaders argue that new creative firms and a growing artistic population can support economic renewal. But they are also thought to lead to less desirable outcomes such as the displacement of poorer communities and fuelling local tensions. A new working paper published by the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (Creative PEC), finds that, while there is a small positive correlation between creative activity and neighbourhood gentrification in England and Wales, typically it’s very small indeed. However, the study also finds evidence that gentrification impacts are more pronounced in a minority of neighbourhoods, especially in London and other big urban areas.

https://pec.ac.uk/news/relationship-between-creative-industries-and-gentrification-overstated-says-new-study