What is gentrification? The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the verb “gentrify” as: To change (a place, such as an old neighborhood) by improving it and making it more appealing to people who have money. But what does the process of gentrification actually look like? Who are the players? What are the driving forces? What are outcomes of such change? To answer these questions and countless others, students will use multimedia tools to examine how cultural institutions, places of consumption, recreational spaces, and public infrastructure affect a neighborhood’s culture and evolution. The neighborhood is the center of urban life — a delicate network of community and culture. Throughout the course, we will examine the ecosystems of changing places and explore the interwoven elements of race and ethnicity, history, politics, economics, and space.