ABSTRACT EXPLORING THE DIVERSITY OF GENTRIFICATION IN THREE CHICAGO CULTURAL DISTRICTS - DIFFERENCES IN THE ARTIST CLASS AS FIRST WAVE GENTRIFIERSByCristina Ramona Benton The paper explores the diversity of gentrification that exists in three cultural districts that are the recipients of the public investment in the city of Chicago between the years 1970 and 2000. The research advances a broader analysis of gentrification consistent with the approaches advanced by Rose (1984), Beauregard (1990), Clark (2005), and Podagrosi, Vojnovic, and Pigozzi (2011). A principal components analysis and k-means cluster analysis generated a grouping of 123 census tracts in Chicago experiencing similar upgrading trajectories. A qualitative analysis was conducted on three neighborhoods captured from this one cluster, with all three neighborhoods being nodes of the public investment in the infrastructure of play in Chicago. The three case studies experienced similar trajectories of gentrification, but with considerable internal diversity. The paper suggests that the specific characteristics in the diversity of cultural professionals, and the diversity in their 'artistic-infused' districts, can provide insight into the nature of subsequent gentrifiers. Within this context, the study also explores the role of the public sector in driving gentrification in Chicago's arts and cultural districts.
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