Modalities of the New Middle Class: Ideology and Behaviour in the Journey to Work from Gentrified Neighbourhoods in Canada

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between gentrification and the transport mode selected for the journey to work. A review of surveys, ethnographies and electoral records shows a liberal and anti-suburban ideology associated with gentrification, including endorsement of sustainability and the public household. Consequently, one would expect to find non-automobile transport prevailing in gentrified districts. Data secured from the Census of Canada permit this proposition to be examined for the central cities of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. The results show some complexity, due in part to divisions internal to gentrified neighbourhoods. The most robust results reveal an overrepresentation of cycling to work in gentrified districts and, surprisingly in light of a putative left-liberal ideology, an underutilisation of public transport compared with other districts.