Gentrification is a process of neighborhood change in which the primary beneficiaries tend to be homeowners and newcomers, as opposed to incumbent renters. However, operational definitions of gentrification and other concepts of neighborhood change are elusive, making them and their interactions with policy interventions difficult to quantify. In this paper, we propose formulating processes of neighborhood change as instances of no-regret dynamics; a collective learning process in which a set of strategic agents rapidly reach a state of approximate equilibrium. We mathematize concepts of neighborhood change to model the incentive structures impacting individual dwelling-site decision-making. Our model accounts for affordability, access to relevant amenities, community ties, and site upkeep. We showcase our model with computational experiments that provide semi-quantitative insights on the spatial economics of neighborhood change, particularly on the influence of residential zoning policy and the placement of urban amenities.

翻译：绅士化是一种街区变迁过程，其主要受益者往往是房主和新迁入者，而非现有租户。然而，绅士化及其他街区变迁概念的操作性定义难以界定，导致其与政策干预之间的相互作用难以量化。本文提出将街区变迁过程表述为无遗憾动态的实例——一种策略性主体集体学习过程，能够快速达到近似均衡状态。我们对街区变迁概念进行数学化处理，以建模影响个体住宅地块决策的激励结构。该模型综合考虑了住房可负担性、相关公共设施可达性、社区纽带及建筑维护状况。通过计算实验展示了该模型，为街区变迁的空间经济学提供半定量化洞见，尤其针对住宅分区政策及城市设施布局的影响进行了深入分析。