The Airbnb offer as an expression of gentrification and turistification in Paris

Abstract

In recent years, the spread of Airbnb in several cities around the world has raised a number of questions about the relationship between the accelerated growth in the supply of short-term rental units and the gentrification process. This study aims at investigating the relationship between the urban valorization by tourism in Paris, drawing a parallel between the geographic evolution of the offer of short-term rental units and the socio-spatial processes linked to gentrification. A multivariate quantitative analysis is developed to demonstrate that the centrifugal expansion of the Airbnb offer towards the Parisian peripheries coincides with socioeconomic indicators of the gentrification process, such as the increase in average land values, the average income of the inhabitants and the expulsion of immigrant population.

Keywords:
Gentrification; Touristification; Airbnb; Neoliberalism; Paris