The misunderstood history of gentrification : people planning preservation and urban renewal 1915 2020 Offers evidence that the phenomenon of American gentrification has much earlier historical roots than many believe and argues that a more thorough understanding of this history has implications for how we should think about impoverished communities obsolete structures and urban neighborhoods going forward. Preface Introduction Embryonic gentrification in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington D.C. 1915 1945 Embryonic gentrification in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City 1915 1945 Embryonic gentrification in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston 1915 1945 Early embryonic gentrification an Atlantic and Gulf Coast phenomenon Federal policies to reverse urban decline 1949 1974 The decade of the neighborhood and the discovery of gentrification Embryonic gentrification and advanced gentrification 1980 2018 Conclusion.