The real estate sector is accelerating gentrification with AI

An omnipresent but often invisible flow of data is rapidly altering the physical world we live in. In order to predict and accelerate gentrification, PropTech (real estate technology) firms are harvesting data about neighbourhoods, from sources as varied as social media check-ins, historical demographics and chemical analysis of sewers (used to determine drug-use patterns).

This article examines the cynical extraction of fiscal value from the built environment. As we head into the uncertain 2020s, planners, policymakers, and citizens should be asking: how might data be used in shaping urban environments with human and environmental benefit in mind, rather than solely for the maximisation of capital?