Gentrification has seemed to be part of the current structure of land ownership and I want to know if "fighting" gentrification with market based solutions is just chasing ghosts.
In my opinion, gentrification is (one of) the result(s) of any urban renewal process (more than "market based approach to housing"). To avoid it, urban renewal should be slow and socially participative and integrative.
In many cases (Manhattan renewal projects for example), we see a kind of voluntary gentrification. In these cases, the project is defined in a way so that the current residents could not/would not stay. In reality, in these projects, we do not solve the problem; we just move it around from one neighborhood to another.
I do agree with Unai Fernández de Betoño that to avoid it, the urban renewal process should be participative. In fact, in my opinion, the question of creating social mix and avoiding gentrification is a complex issue concerning market, politics, urbanism, society, etc. and we cannot reach to a comprehensive solution if we don't start having multidisciplinary approaches.
The social realities looking down at the cities often distinct the class and their co-exitence. The housing models which are made popular due to new economies associate the dwellers with others. The gentrification of the units are generally association of the unit holders which might have acceptable social behaviours. The process of allowing the gentrification is not only associated with renewal but also the new housing blocks. In most of the developing nations the new economies pushes the housebuyers to look for identical communities, safety and cultural assimilations in their busy life styles. The real utilization of the housing units have reduced to have less time to mingle with sourroundings. The people in general are willing to stay in genetrified areas due to small family sizes, newness to city and do not want to experiments with neighbours. The mobile urban communities easily find the housing products which are available in different cities but identical in look, amenities and communities. It becomes easy to decide and connect. The phenomenon is going to stay as sprawling cities would have little to offer to individual dwellers unless he identifies his/her type. The market response to such situation while offering the housing products aimed to cater demand. There is no correct or wrong path in urban societies it has so far evolved in cocooned environment, more adapt to our socialising.
It seems that commodification of housing would lead naturally to gentrification, since it is part of the process of 'urban renewal' most profitable to real estate developers.
I was discussing this recently with a friend and came across this old post when looking for new work on the subject. Here's an article that is excerpted from the recent book Capital City: Gentrification and the Real Estate State.
https://www.jacobinmag.com/2019/03/gentrification-is-a-feature-not-a-bug-of-capitalist-urban-planning