Abstract
Urban geographical research focused on neighbourhood change has interested researchers for more than a century. Throughout this period various schools of thought have sought to understand the dynamics that contribute to aspects of urban and neighbourhood change. Gentrification has become an important process for understanding how the circulation of capital and culture influences and contributes to neighbourhood change. Various ‘new forms’ of gentrification emerged in recent decades. The term studentification, which focuses on the broad economic, social, and cultural impacts of students on cities entered academic discourse in the early 2000s. Since then, this emerging form of neighbourhood change has enjoyed sustained research interest in the United Kingdom and other parts of the global North. Except for a few case studies, studentification is largely neglected in the global South. The global trends of the neoliberalisation and massification of higher education have seen expanded student enrolment since the 1980s. This has impacted university cities and towns as students are channelled into private student accommodation. In addition to housing, students also actively shape spaces of entertainment and contribute to the night-time economy of cities. The impact of studentification is often seen as disruptive to communities...
D.Phil. (Geography)