The relationship between gentrification and public transport investments: a study on French cities

Emma, Damay (2026) The relationship between gentrification and public transport investments: a study on French cities. COGNITIVE SUSTAINABILITY, 5 (2). ISSN 2939-5240

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Abstract

Socio-spatial dynamics, such as gentrification, often result from urban planning and development processes that include public transport investments. The construction of a new tramline (or light-rail transit, LRT) is one of the most impactful transport infrastructure projects that can be implemented within a territory. This work focuses on the fourth tramline in Bordeaux (France), which crosses 3 suburban municipalities with different accessibility and socio-economic profiles. It aims to evaluate the impact of this project on multiple indicators: population density, the socio-professional composition of the population, average household income, and the number of poor households, to detect a possible gentrification process. Municipal data, as well as grid-based data from the French national statistics institute, were used to obtain a global view of cities’ dynamics, and a more precise view at a 200 × 200 m cell scale. Using a GIS tool and R for visualisation, the evolution of those indicators over the course of the implementation was studied. The results show an acceleration in density growth, most evident in the peripheral cities farthest from the city centre, as well as a subtle, nuanced increase in the proportions of higher-income socio-professional groups. Gridded data on the population’s income along the tram’s route yield mixed conclusions: the study does not allow for the identification of a clear ongoing gentrification process. The research could be completed by evaluating other urban development indicators, such as housing market trends, and by collecting more data on the years following the launch to establish the project’s long-term impact.

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