Gentrification in inner Melbourne: problems of analysis

Measurement and analysis of survey data for the period 1961–76 show that the concept of ‘gentrification’, borrowed from the British inner housing scene by local media and social scientists, does not capture the most salient features of the recent inner Melbourne experience. Serious inadequacies are revealed in the census data and alternative data sources are tapped. Positivist methods say nothing about the ‘meaning’ of inner city social changes, leaving room for interpretation based on the socio-political stance of the observer. This is seen in the attribution of motives for the ‘gentry's’ entry into inner Melbourne and for their environmental and political activities.