These areas are also now more open to investment and development due to the proximity of a new upwardly mobile, financially secure population. From this knowledge, we can conclude, as Smith has also claimed, that the places affected by gentrification are not random. The neighborhoods that are gentrified are gentrified because they may be strategically important for financial security, growth, or other reasons. The growth machine is composed of a large number of people and organizations who stand to benefit by growth of a city or place in a variety of different ways. Constituents of the growth machine include politicians, media, utilities, transportation, cultural institutions, universities, labor unions, small businessmen, large corporations, and even some neighborhood associations.
Growth helps politicians acquire more governmental revenue and generate electoral support.
Small businesses and large corporations stand to gain a more favorable environment for doing business and for making higher profits. Labor unions stand to gain more membership through the growth of the city and industry. Cultural institutions stand to gain more clientele who can afford to donate money and attend events. Newspapers stand to gain more circulation. They all stand to make more money.