Gentrification has fundamentally reconstructed urban landscapes as well as the social characteristics of many cities all over the world, and particularly key global economic centers. As a global city and a special administration region of China, Hong Kong is also experiencing physical, economic, and social changes that are fundamentally restructuring the physical fabric of the city (La Grange & Pretorius, 2016b; Ye & Vojnovic, 2018; Ye, Vojnovic, & Chen, 2015). This study focuses on the social impacts of gentrification by identifying gentrified neighborhoods across the whole city of Hong Kong and tracking the paths of gentrification and the associated displacement pressures in three selected neighborhoods. This study investigates four research questions: 1) How can gentrification be located and conceptualized gentrification in Hong Kong? 2) How extensive was the gentrification in Hong Kong between the years 1986-2016 and what are the manifestations, characteristics, mechanisms, and impacts of gentrification in different neighborhoods? 3) What are the impacts of gentrification on the underprivileged in different neighborhoods across Hong Kong? 4) What is the role of government in gentrification processes across Hong Kong?This research uses PCA and K-means clustering to capture gentrified neighborhoods in Hong Kong. Results show that different areas across the city exhibit different patterns of gentrification. A total of 141 TPUs, covering 430.89 km2 or 38.82% of Hong Kong’s land area, have been identified as gentrified/gentrifying neighborhoods. Based on the quantitative analysis and field observations, three neighborhoods––Sham Shui Po and Kwun Tong in Kowloon and Wan Chai in Hong Kong Island––are selected for a detailed qualitative study examining gentrification processes. Results show that the Hong Kong government has been very active in initiating gentrification processes, through its renewal efforts. It acts as the initiator, facilitator, and is a major beneficiary of renewal. In addition to state-led gentrification, a diversity of gentrification type, including classical gentrification, industrial gentrification, and heritage-fueled gentrification are also identified. In the gentrification processes in Hong Kong, the underprivileged are constantly the most vulnerable group, the most likely to be displaced. Lastly, because of the compact urban morphology and large-scale public housing provision, gentrification and its associated displacement in Hong Kong have led to social polarization but necessarily spatial segregation.
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